Empress of Light
by Exonfixer
Summary: AU where there is an Empress of the Rainbow Line. How will she affect the ToQgers and the Shadow Line, in particular, the Emperor of Darkness? What connection do they have that seems to entwine their fates together? [Disclaimer: I do not own ToQger]
1. The Mysterious Force

Slowly, the trains chugged along the tracks to the next Shadow town in sight, setting what would be a calm and peaceful ride if not for the ruckus inside.

"Right, stop!" exclaimed Mio as she saw Right literally _inhale _his lunch. "You'll choke!"

"Don't worry Mio," pausing from his lunch to tap the side of his head "I can see it. I won't choke."

"That's not how it works." Mio said half-heartedly, still struggling to move the food away from Right.

Farther down the row of seats, Tokatti was busying himself with writing romantic poetry for Mio. Frustrated, crumpled bits of paper were scattered across the table. However, one happened to have rolled off onto the floor next to Kagura. Curious, she plucked it off the floor and smoothed it out so that she could read.

"Um...Tokatti?" Kagura asked. "Is this yours?"

Glancing up Tokatti noticed the rigid sheet in Kagura's hand. A few seconds passed before the horror fully registered his mind.

"Er...uh...no. That's not mine." stuttered Tokatti as he slowly attempted to reach for the sheet.

"Are you sure? It looks like your handwriting." replied Kagura with a both equally curious and innocent look on her face.

"Well...I.."

"Tokatti…"

Pausing from adjusting his glasses he glanced back up at Kagura who seemed to be rereading a part of the paper.

"Who's this goddess of beauty you're writing about?"

Immediately, Tokatti snatched the paper away and tried to make a run for the door. He would have been successful in his getaway if Conductor had not been standing behind it, thus Tokatti crashing into him.

"Good afternoon everyone!" announced Conductor as he stepped over Tokatti's body laying on the ground. "We'll be arriving in the next Shadow town in ten minutes!"

Suddenly, the trains came to a grinding halt causing everyone in the train to stumble into random seats as the lights also began to flicker on and off.

"Is this a Shadow monster attack?" Hikari asked as he appeared from the door Conductor just came through.

"Look!" Ticket announced pointing to the monitor.

_Warning: Severe light waves detected. Please remain seated._

"Light waves?" questioned Right.

"Iyaa~" exclaimed Wagon as she bursted through the door "Conductor! The Rainbow Line President has called! He says it's urgent!"

"Don't worry everyone, we'll have this problem fixed soon." said Conductor even though in the back of his mind, he knew the trains were picking up more than just light waves.

* * *

"_Zett….Zett.." _whispered a mysterious voice.

It was one of those eerie but calm days at the Shadow Line where everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing. Whether it was Nero preparing to dismiss another Shadow into the human world, Noire sewing another garment, or Mork overseeing the Shadow towns. However, Zett was the only one to spend these days sleeping upon his throne. Of course, sleep wasn't necessary for any Shadow, nor did sleep ever bring anything but darkness. Yet, Zett took joy and comfort in this, so nobody was going to question him.

Instead of being greeted by darkness this time though, Zett awoke inside his mind to a vest expanse...of white.

"_Zett...Zett…"_

Startled, Zett looked around to pinpoint the direction of the voice, but he saw nothing but the vastness of white. Confused, he just decided to take a walk around as he wondered why his mind drifted to here.

"Come on slowpoke! Come and catch me!"

Suddenly, a girl raced by him, yet all he could see was the trail of dark brown hair of her's. Curious, he chased after her. Realizing she was being followed, the girl glanced back at Zett and smiled as she began to speed up. Immediately after making eye contact did Zett feel a sensation within in him so quick that it would've been hard to detect, yet it felt similar to the first time he saw light. Determined now more than ever he sprinted after her, yet the faster he ran, she ran twice as fast. Struggling to keep up, he soon found that he could no longer see her. Desperately wanting to catch up, Zett realized that something inside him was holding him back… Grita. As soon as he remembered her, his mind was plunged back into the world of darkness he was so familiar with.

Instantly, pain flared inside his heart, the feeling of Grita's presence inside of him more prominent than ever. Struggling to control her power, Zett fell to his knees gasping deeply for breath. There was nothing he could do to avoid the pain but just lay there helplessly. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint glow light. Straining to look up he was surprised to see the mysterious girl.

Kneeling down beside him, she stared at Zett with sad eyes.

"Zett." she whispered.

"How do you-" cutting him off from his sentence was another wave of pain, causing him to curl around himself.

Reaching out, the girl gently placed her hand on top of Zett's chest. Closing her eyes in slight concentration, a flow of light wrapped itself around her arm to the area around Zett's body. Weak, Zett could do nothing but watch and wait as the pain soon ebbed away. Strong enough to move now, he got up to be at level with her.

"Thank you" he said quietly, still shocked at the events that just occurred.

Another kind smile was given to him that sent a new type of pain pulsing through his heart, one that he didn't mind having. However, the feeling did not last as long as he noticed that the image of the girl was fading quickly.

"No, wait!" exclaimed Zett as he tried to reach out to her, but to no avail.

Waking up, Zett saw that he was back to the usual surroundings of the Castle Terminal. Disappointed, he leaned back onto his throne. Yet as he placed his hand over his heart, he noticed the faint lingering touch from the mysterious girl.


	2. The Phone Call

With nervous apprehension, the Conductor slowly reached for the phone to answer the call from the President.

Taking one last breath, he answered "Hello Sir?"

"It's time." he responded with a serious tone.

"Time for-"

"She's back. We picked up her signal in the town nearby. Tell the ToQgers to go find her."

"With all due respect sir, but are you completely sure?" he questioned "I might not know exactly what happened in the past, but you shouldn't keep dwelling on this! How many times have you called when it was only a false alarm?" spoke Conductor hurriedly.

"I know it's her. I-"

"But what if it's not?"

"Don't tell me you didn't feel that power, Conductor! That is her and you know it! Now get the ToQgers and retrieve her right now!" demanded the President before the line went dead.

For a moment, Conductor was stunned by the sudden outburst of the President. _Does he really believe she has returned?_ _After all these years… after giving up for so long. _Deep down, Conductor knew that everyone, those who were still alive to remember, and himself still hoped of the possibility that she was alive. Yet those feelings had been long buried within as the years progressed. Still engulfed with the thoughts and questions that raced through his mind, Conductor didn't realize he made it back to the room where the ToQgers were awaiting. It was only when Wagon beckoned him to speak that broke him from his trance.

"Well, Conductor? Is the probably fixed?" asked Right who had stopped eating at the time the trains halted.

"Not quite…" the Conductor began "It's that… the President wants you to…"

"The President?" questioned Hikari.

"If the President called, then it must be dangerous!" exclaimed Kagura who stood up from her seat.

"Well…"

"Another Shadow attack?" wondered Tokatti.

"It's not that!" shouted Ticket over the commotion.

"Then what is it?" asked Mio worriedly.

"Well…" started Conductor again.

"The Rainbow Line President has asked that that the ToQgers go retrieve the Empress of Light!" announced Ticket.

"What?!" the ToQgers exclaimed in unison.


	3. The Arriving Royal

"Empress of Light?" repeated Mio.

"It's a long story, but yes, there is an empress of the Rainbow Line." answered Conductor.

"How's it that possible though?" questioned Tokatti as he adjusted his glasses "How can there be an empress and president?" At that, the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Again, it's a long story that will have to be explained later. We must hurry to go find her before she gets into any trouble!"

"Trouble?" asked Right. Suddenly, another warning flashed on the monitor of a Shadow monster detected nearby.

"Hurry everyone! We must not let the Shadow Line take notice of the Empress!" commanded Conductor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Akira was already at the town searching for spare parts to help modify his train. However, he had a habit of spending too much time in the local pet shops. If it weren't for his orange hard hat and belt of tools, people would have mistaken him for an employee. Of course, he seemed to really enjoy playing with the kittens that no one had the heart to ask him to leave. It wasn't until he heard the faint call of someone in need that he rushed out of the shop.

"Help! Can someone please help me!"

Prepared to face a Shadow monster, Akira quickly pulled out his Applichanger. It wasn't until mid-swipe of his ToQ change did he realize that the one calling for help was a small boy who had gotten a kite stuck in a tree. With a small sigh of relief that there was no real threat, he began to walk towards the boy.

"Do you need help with that?"

Pausing in his tracks, Akira looked up to see that a girl was already assisting the boy. Reaching up on her tiptoes, the girl carefully maneuvered the multi-colored kite out of the tree and handed it to the awaiting hands of the child.

"Thank you so much!" cheered the boy.

Yet, before he could run off, a loud blast erupted nearby that soon followed with the deafening screams of civilians. Glancing back at the the girl and boy, Akira saw that she had shielded the boy with her body.

"Hurry! Get to somewhere safe!" shouted Akira.

Of course, the boy obediently followed orders, but the girl still stayed in her spot by the tree facing the direction of the blast.

"I thought I said-"

"Zaram!" shouted the Shadow monster.

"Electric Shadow" whispered Akira as he faced his opponent.

"You will not be escaping alive this time!" With that, Electric Shadow released an explosion of sparks flying in all directions.

Realizing the girl had not left, Akira quickly ran over to shield her from the attack. Injured, he fell to his knees.

"What are you doing?" asked the girl "I can handle-"

"Akira!"

Both Akira and the girl turned to see a group of people in brightly colored suits arrive to the scene.

"Stay back." whispered Akira before he turned to stand back up.

Before she could go and explain to him that she didn't need protecting, her eyes were immediately drawn to the Applichanger and orange ressha in his hand. Nodding in understanding, she moved to an area where it was safe to watch to watch the fight.

"ToQgers, huh? Well guess what, you all will be defeated by me today!" mocked the Shadow monster.

"We'll see about that!" Right retorted as he shot the monster with the ToQ blaster, causing him to stumble back.

For awhile the girl observed a fairly even match against the monster and heroes. The ToQgers, the monster verified them as, seemed to work very well with each other that she questioned how long they've been training and fighting Shadow monsters. Although she was even more confused as to why a Shadow monster was fighting with the heroes. However, she didn't have much to dwell on this as she noticed Electric Shadow had gained the upper hand.

Sending a wave of electric currents, the ToQgers were forced out of their transformation. Seeing that they struggled to get back up, the monster slowly made his way towards them to deliver the finishing blow.

Charging the blue currents of electricity that flashed around his translucent form, Electric Shadow took pleasure in the fear of the heroes. He sneered at them saying "What ToQgers, tired out already? Is this all the power you have? Don't worry, I'll make your deaths quick!"

After releasing his blast of electricity, all they could do was helplessly shield themselves with their arms. Yet after a moment passed with no indication of pain did the ToQgers dare to open their eyes. Shocked, the first thing they saw was a clear shield surrounding them all that shined iridescently against the electric currents that reflected off of it. What surprised Akira even more was that the girl he saw earlier was now standing in front of them, seemingly controlling the shield.

"What?!" yelled the Shadow as he saw his attack did no damage "Who are you?!" he demanded as he pointed his finger at the girl.

Opening her eyes, Electric Shadow flinched at the intensity within them. Calmly with a clear and loud voice she answered…

"I am Arya. Empress of Light."


	4. Slashing Through

"What? Impossible!" snarled Electric Shadow.

The same reaction was mirrored by the ToQgers as they could only stare in shock at the empress appearing before them.

"Give up now Shadow, or face the consequences!" spoke Arya.

"Over my dead body! I will see to it that you die permanently this time!" yelled the Shadow as he ran toward her with electricity charging around his hands.

Unfazed by this reaction, Arya ran forward with a silver sword appearing in her hand. Dodging the first few attacks, she soon slipped behind the monster to be able to slash his back. Staggering, the Shadow retaliated by blasting long-range electron beams at her. Of course, this was again reflected off the shield of light, hitting him in return. Running forward, Arya delivered multiple slashes in all directions, never allowing an opportunity for him to fight back.

"Amazing…" muttered Kagura as everyone else continued to watch the battle in awe.

* * *

However, the ToQgers weren't the only ones watching. Back at Castle Terminal, Zett was also witnessing the fight that was taking place. It wasn't until Arya arrived that he started to pay attention, though.

"What? Empress of _Light?_" asked Noire as she looked up from her sewing.

"This can't be!" exclaimed Nero "How is it that the Empress of Light is alive?"

"This is intolerable!" demanded Mork, storming out of the room to prepare an attack.

Despite their shock and agitation toward the situation, Zett was the happiest of them all. Standing up from his throne, he walked closer toward the screen to get a closer view of the fight going on. It wasn't until he fully recognized the face of the so-called Empress of Light that made him pause in his track.

"It's her." he whispered "The light from my dream…she's here."

* * *

By now, Electric Shadow was too injured to even stand from her attacks. Preparing for the finishing move, Arya's sword glowed brightly as light swirled around the blade, giving the illusion it was engulfed in white fire.

Once it reached it's full capacity of power, Arya shouted "Blazing Slash!" as she sent a massive streak of white energy toward the Shadow. Defeated, he fell in a big explosion of sparks.

Once her sword disappeared, Arya dusted off her hands on her white dress. A few seconds passed by before she turned toward the ToQgers confused saying, "Isn't it your turn to fight?"

Of course, they were confused as they had just witness her defeat the Shadow monster. Yet, it all made sense when they saw Electric Shadow revive in his giant form.

"Er, right, okay." mumbled Right and the others as they quickly boarded their trains.

Looking up to watch the mecha fight, Arya couldn't help but smile.


	5. Meeting the Empress

"What?" exclaimed Arya "You're telling me, that you allowed the President to hire _kids_ to fight the Shadow Line while I was gone?"

"Well, you see...your majesty…we didn't know at the time…" stuttered Conductor.

"How could you let this happen?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Again, this was met with more mumbling from the Conductor until he finally gave up and decided to just lower his head in shame. For the last couple of minutes, the ToQgers had been silently watching the conversation after they defeated the Shadow.

"Well, it's not the Conductor's fault, your..uh majesty." Right said as he stood from his seat "We had just learned the truth ourselves recently."

As the empress turned around, Tokatti also spoke up by saying "Besides, we've decided that we want to go through with this, despite the risks." The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I understand and respect your commitment to this, everyone. But I can't be responsible for when you get hurt." replied Arya.

"You make it seem like we're going to lose." challenged Hikari.

"What he means is that we've fought tons of Shadows and have gotten hurt." Mio stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder "We aren't afraid of a few more scrapes and bruises."

"Yes, but-"

"Listen." Akira cut in "I've fought alongside these people for awhile now, and I believe that they are the only ones qualified for this. Please, have some faith in them, your majesty."

Resting a hand on her shoulder the Conductor said gently "Your majesty, I know that you are worried. But you saw them fight, they are more than capable of fighting the Shadow Line! You don't have to fight alone anymore." he whispered.

Facing Conductor, Arya could see the confidence that shone in his eyes but also the worry hidden deep within them about her safety. Giving in to their demands, she agreed in allowing the ToQgers to stay.

"Iyaa~" cheered Wagon "Now our group of heroes has a total of seven!" rounding them all up into an awkward group hug.

"Well, let's get a move on shall we? I'll first have to call the President of your return and safety, your majesty." announced Conductor as he left to prepare the trains for departure.

"How exciting! This deserves a special dinner, huh?" said Wagon as she also left.

For awhile, the rest of them stood and sat in awkward silence. Only the rattling of the trains being heard.

"So..uh...your majesty." spoke Right. "I-"

"You don't need to call me that" she said, glancing up at Right.

"Eh?"

A small smile appeared on her face as she replied "You can call me Arya from now on."

"Really?" Right asked, surprised.

"Of course." she said "We are going to be fighting alongside each other from now on. Besides, I was never really into people calling me that. It's too formal."

"That's cool of you." smiled Right broadly "By the way, this is Tokatti, Hikari, Mio, Kagura, and Akira."

"It's nice to meet all of you." she replied kindly, bowing her head slightly.

"Er...your majesty, I mean Arya." stuttered Tokatti "Do you mind explaining...um, why the Rainbow Line has a president and empress?" The others looked at her expectantly.

Nodding her head in thought for a moment, she finally responded with "Well, I suppose it has to do with the fact that the Rainbow Line's foundation was mainly created by the imagination of children. Since there are no boundaries to imagination, you can expect all sorts of random things within the Rainbow Line."

"So are _you_ imaginary?" asked Kagura.

"I can assure you that I am one-hundred percent real." replied Arya.

"But how are you the empress then if you're an ordinary human being?" questioned Mio.

"Ah, I guess this topic was bound to be discussed sooner or later." spoke Arya good-naturedly. "It's mainly because of the Heaven's Stone seen here in the necklace I'm wearing. This stone was created long ago, and it has since been handed down to those who display a strong force of light within them. Essentially, it grants the wearer power to protect those in the light from darkness. I just happened to have been one of the chosen ones I guess."

"Amazing…" Kagura whispered.

For much of the night, the ToQgers and Arya spent the time together asking each other questions and bonding. Of course, Akira didn't talk much, but he still stayed and listened. However, no matter how much Arya tried to ignore it, there was still a feeling of dread and fear that remained inside of her.


	6. Remembering Nightmares

"_Arya, save us!"_

"_Quickly, we need to retreat!"_

"_Protect the empress!"_

Before she could even process what was going on, Arya had found herself amidst a battle field. Terrified screams echoed out, bodies scattered everywhere on the ground, fires suffocating the air around her, yet she could do nothing about any of it. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion.

_This...dream. What is this place? she thought._

For the last few weeks since her arrival, Arya was haunted by the same dream. Each one ending with the same result despite her desperate attempts to change her fate...her death.

"_More prey, huh?" snarled a Shadow monster from behind. "I wonder what the blood of an empress is like."_

_Turning around, Arya saw the monster lunge at her with sharp, black claws. She was fast enough to escape his grasp, but not quick enough to avoid him leaving a long, red scratch on her shoulder._

"_What are you?" she whispered fearfully. "Why are the Shadow slaughtering humans?!" she demanded._

"_We have no need for their darkness anymore, we have evolved beyond that!" he sneered just as he lunged after her a second time._

_Having no time to dodge, she quickly drew out her sword to shield herself from his grasp. With no other option, she blasted him with a light wave that sent him stumbling back. Taking this as her only opportunity, she charged at him and sliced through his body. However, he didn't evaporate into nothingness like all the other Shadows, his torn body just remained on the ground in a pool of blood._

_Shocked, Arya fell to her knees as her eyes still stared at the fallen corpse. _

"_What's…happening?" she whispered, her breath coming in ragged gasps._

"_Arya!"_

_Looking up, she saw a group of guardsmen waving and rushing up to her. Relief flooded through her at the idea of no longer being alone in the chaos around her. Yet, this idea was short lived. Seeing the tendrils of darkness that clung near the ground of the group made her realize that this was a trap. Desperate to warn them, to have them survive, Arya screamed for them to stay back. But no sound came out. _

"_Arya!" they shouted in terror._

_That was the last she heard of them as she witnessed them torn apart by the living darkness. Tears streaming down her face to the point where she was nearly blind, she ran toward the darkness and slashed aimlessly at it in anger until she knew every piece of evidence of its existence was erased._

_Nothing mattered to her anymore as she collapsed to the ground, still sobbing for her comrades._

"_What are we doing?" she mumbled through her tears. "What are we fighting for?!" she shouted as she turned her body toward the darkened sky._

_It wasn't until she felt the embrace of someone did she manage to calm down slightly._

"_It's okay, Arya." spoke a soothing voice "I won't let them hurt you anymore."_

_Gasping she looked up to see the blurred image of someone she couldn't recognize._

"_Who are y-"_

"_We don't have time to talk. We need to get you to safety." _

_Pulling her up, they both began to run, but never did he let go of her hand. They ran for quite some time before they stopped at an empty field._

"_Where are we?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath._

_Scanning her surroundings, she noticed that the area hadn't been scarred by the battle. But before she could mention this to her rescuer, searing pain soon rushed throughout her body. Surprised, she looked down and saw the blade of a sword protruding from her stomach. Nauseated at the sight of this, she collapsed._

"_Arya! Arya!" shouted a distant voice._

_Opening her eyes, she saw that she was being cradled once again by the mysterious figure._

"_What happened? I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." _

_Why was he worried? she wondered. Weak, she tried to comfort him in saying that this was all a dream, that she was okay and that the destruction around them was all an illusion. But she was wrong._

_Feeling her life slowly drain away and seeing the white dress she wore beginning to stain a crimson red, she realized something. This was not a dream, this was reality, this...was her memory. Eventually, Arya succumbed to the fact that she was dying, and let her world fade into darkness. _

Waking up, Arya lay paralyzed in her bed. Her breathing coming in short gasps, her heart racing as if it was about to beat right out of her chest, and her hands tightly clutching the soft blankets. After calming down and wiping the tears from her face, she turned toward the window knowing that it was going to take some time before she could go back to sleep again.

Staring forlornly out at the stars and thinking of the events that just occurred, she quietly sang to her self "Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…"


	7. Carrying Burdens

"Attention everyone!" announced Conductor over the intercom "A Shadow has been detected nearby, please prepare yourselves!"

"Aww…" groaned Right as he looked down at his plate of food "Can't they attack some other time?"

"Right, you can eat later." comforted Mio as she dragged him out of his seat.

With the train whistle signaling their arrival, the ToQgers quickly existed through out the door followed closely by Arya.

"Hold it right there, your majesty!" called Conductor as his arm separated her from the others. "I have strict orders from the president to keep you from going out to battle."

"Why?" demanded Arya as she tried to exit again. "He is not the boss of me, and neither are you."

"It doesn't matter who's giving the orders, we are doing this for your safety." he replied as he dragged her to a seat. "But you can happily watch the others fight."

"I don't want to watch the others fight, now let me go." she said sternly.

"I didn't want to do this…" he warned pulling out a roll of duct tape.

"Wait, what are you...CONDUCTOR!"

Swiftly, Ticket and Conductor had managed to tape her entire body to the seat.

"We'll let you go after the Shadow has been defeated." he said curtly, turning around to leave as she continued in her struggle.

* * *

Running to the area where the Shadow was detected, the team met up with Akira.

"Have you seen the Shadow?" asked Akira.

"There doesn't seem to be any signs of one here." noted Tokatti as he adjusted the rails on his helmet.

"Then we'll have to be even more alert." replied Hikari as he scanned the area, weapon out in case of an attack.

"Mio?" whispered Kagura as she tugged on her arm. "Where's the empress?"

Realizing that Kagura was right, Mio noticed that the empress was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know." she replied "But I'm sure she can handle her-"

"ToQgers!" called an unknown voice. "It's so good that you managed to get yourself stuck in my trap!"

"Trap?" wondered Right out loud.

Appearing before them was a Shadow in the shape of what seemed like a bomb. With an amused grunt, he snapped his fingers that echoed loudly around them.

"What are you… AH!"

Suddenly, everyone was ejected upwards as the Shadow monster triggered the bombs underneath them to explode.

Laughing hysterically, the Shadow mocked them by saying "How was that ToQgers? Did you enjoy my trap?"

"You won't be laughing once I'm through with you, Bomb Shadow!" called Akira, preparing to charge at him.

Pausing from his laughter, Shadow spoke "I wouldn't move if I were you, Zaram."

"What?" he asked, but it was too late. Right when he placed his foot down, Akira was again, blasted upwards.

"Can you see now? The whole ground is hidden with my bombs!" Bomb Shadow called joyfully as he began laughing again.

"It can't be!" cried Hikari, searching the ground around him.

"We're doomed!" panicked Tokatti.

"Bomb Shadow!"

Cutting him off from his amusement was a series of arrows fired at his stomach. Falling back in bewilderment, he yelled angrily "Who was that?!"

Tracing the direction of the shots, the others stared in amazement at Arya who was perched up in a tree, her sword molded into the shape of a bow.

"Arya! Were you there the whole time?" questioned Mio.

"Sorry about being late, everyone. I had a...situation to take care of." she replied as she removed a part of duct tape that clung to her clothing.

"Don't think you'll get away from this!"

Focusing her attention back to the Shadow, she could see that he was quite agitated. Immediately, he sent bombs flying after her, but before they could touch any surface, Arya was able to have them explode in the air by firing arrows at them. However, Bomb Shadow managed to send one near the base of the tree she was sitting in, causing her to fall toward the ground where the landmines were.

Disregarding the danger it posed to him, Akira ran over to catch Arya. Without knowing though that this caused a great disturbance to all the bombs, the ground quickly erupted, sending everyone flying in all directions.

"Goodbye ToQgers!" called the Shadow.

* * *

Coughing, Arya woke to find herself in the middle of a shallow stream. Determined to go back and finish off the Shadow, she slowly got up, yet pain caused her to collapse back into the water. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to drag herself back up again, but to no avail.

"Do you need help, your majesty?"

Glancing up, Arya saw the hand of Akira extended out to her.

"I don't need your help." she said stubbornly, ignoring his gesture and pulling herself up.

"Are you sure, your majesty? You seem to have acquired quite a lot of wounds, despite me shielding you from most of the blast."

"I said I don't need your help!" she shouted.

"The last thing I need is a Shadow like you pitying me." she grumbled, walking away still dripping wet.

"Wait!" he called, running after her to grab her arm "You know?" he whispered.

"Of course I know! The dark aura around you is still clearly visible, despite you being a ToQger and living in the light for so long." she replied.

"I should have known." he spoke softly.

"What?" Arya asked, turning around to face him.

"I know that I can never erase my sins for when I was a Shadow." he said gravely.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" she questioned.

"I ruined people's day with my rain." he responded remorsefully.

"Oh, well that's not really-"

"That is why I continue my search for a place to die." he interrupted "By joining the Rainbow Line, I can begin to make amends for all the darkness I've created."

Silence surrounded them for a moment before Arya whispered "It seems we all have our own burdens to carry."

Glancing back at Arya, Akira was surprised to notice that she was lowering her head to hide the few tears that fell.

"Hey, come on." he said playfully, nudging her with his elbow "I don't think you should be crying in public, your majesty."

Laughing, Arya wiped off her tears before looking back up at Akira.

"You're right."

"Should we go defeat that Shadow, your majesty?" he responded more seriously.

Nodding in agreement, both set off to locate Bomb Shadow.

* * *

"Hikari, catch!" called Right as they exchanged resshas.

While Arya and Akira were gone, the others had been trying to defeat the Shadow. However, he was proving to be much more stronger than the previous ones.

"Where could they be?" asked Mio.

"Judging from the explosion, they were probably sent farther than any of us." replied Tokatti as he dodged another bomb.

"I hope they're alright." worried Kagura as she continued to fight off Kuros.

"Everyone! Don't worry!"

Turning around, the ToQgers saw Akira and Arya running up to them.

"Hurray! You guys are alright!" cheered Kagura.

"Thanks Kagura, we-"

"Hey!" demanded Bomb Shadow "Are we fighting or what?"

Making eye contact with Akira, Arya asked "Are you ready?"

Nodding he said "ToQ Change!" as he transformed into the sixth ToQger.

Mirroring each others movements and staying perfectly in sync, both of them were able to weaken him with powerful hits and slashes. In the end, the entire team joined together to deliver the finishing blow.

* * *

"You had us very worried, Arya. Not only did you disobey orders, but you could have seriously injured yourself." spoke Conductor sternly.

"I know, I'm sorry." apologized Arya.

With a deep sigh he replied "Well, at least you're safe now, that's all that matters." as he hugged her closely.

"Conductor" she groaned "I'm not a child anymore. Besides, don't think this is the last time I'll be fighting."

Releasing her and chuckling, he said "I know."

As everyone sat around together, Arya noticed that Akira was sitting alone in one of the end booths.

Placing a mug of hot chocolate in front of him and scooting to the booth opposite of him she began by saying "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I hope you know that I didn't mean any of it. It's just-"

"You don't need to say anymore, your majesty." he interjected "It's like what you said earlier, everyone has a burden that they carry. I won't judge you for whatever made you feel that way towards me being a Shadow."

"Really? Thank you, Akira. I really appreciate it." She said, relieved, but still feeling a bit guilty for having her nightmare cause her to distrust Akira.

"Hey," he said as he glanced up from taking a sip from his mug "If you ever want to, your majesty, I wouldn't mind helping you bear your burden. I've already decided to help them out." pointing to the five ToQgers.

"Maybe...when the time comes." said Arya smiling. "By the way, you don't have to keep addressing me as your majesty anymore."

"I know, your majesty." responded Akira as he stood up and left the train.


	8. Emperor's Invitation

"Your Majesty!" cried Nero "What are we going to do about the Empress of Light? She and the ToQgers have already taken down five of our Shadows!"

"Calm down, Nero." replied Zett, annoyed, shifting his gaze away from the mirror that stood by his throne. "I'll handle the situation myself."

"What do you mean?" he questioned, surprised.

Getting up from his throne, Zett slowly made his way out the room. Pausing by the doorway to say "I believe it's about time I pay a visit to this new empress."

"_What are you going to do?" _whispered a voice.

Stopping in the darkened hallway, Zett placed his hand over his chest.

"Worried about me, Grita?" he humored quietly to himself.

"_I worry about the others, but certainly not you." _she replied.

"How cold of you." he chuckled "I thought you would at least be grateful that I allowed you and your mother to live, despite both of your attempts to kill me."

A moment of silence passed before she responded "_You need me."_

"For now, maybe." he said clutching the fabric of his shirt tighter "But soon, I will obtain the light I have been searching for."

Suddenly, pain flared throughout his body, causing him to fall to his knees. Through clenched teeth he demanded "That's enough!" as he sent an inward force of darkness at Grita, muffling her light.

"_I won't let you take from others!" _she yelled between coughs "_I won't let you have your way anymore!"_

For a few minutes, the two combated each other with light and darkness. However, the emperor was still by far superior in power, soon suffocating Grita in darkness until there was only a faint glimmer of her life still inside of him.

Straining to stand up, he whispered coldly "You don't have the right to make such demands to me." as he began to make his way toward his train.

* * *

Back in the Rainbow Line, the ToQgers were enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

"Right, are you actually reading a book?" questioned Tokatti.

"Yeah, it's a book on all the different barbecues we could try out!" he replied excitedly, displaying the pictures on the page.

"I guess I should've seen that coming." teased Tokatti.

"What do you mean?" asked Right, genuinely confused.

"Ah, it's..it's nothing, Right." he stuttered quickly.

"By the way, has any of you seen Arya or Akira today?" asked Mio, glancing up from her book "I haven't seen them all morning."

"I think Arya went to help Akira on his train." responded Kagura after she completed her puzzle.

"Iyaa~" exclaimed Wagon as she dropped the mop she was holding "What if they're on a date!"

"That's highly unlikely Wagon."

"Aww, why do you have to be so negative, Hikari?" complained Wagon "I bet they're having a great time together." as she traced a heart shape in the air.

* * *

"I said the blue wire goes there!" demanded Arya, pointing to the red wire.

"And I say it's connected to the green wire!" countered Akira.

"Blue to red!" she shouted.

"Blue to green!" he yelled back.

For awhile, Arya and Akira were arguing over certain mechanics in the train.

"Look, I'm the empress." she replied calmly "I'm pretty sure I know the functions of all the trains in the Rainbow Line."

"Well this train was given to me, so back off!"

"Says the person who asked me to help!"

"Why don't we just try it out, and see who is right?" insisted Akira.

"Fine." she grunted.

But before he could connect any of the wires, the Applichanger began ringing.

"Hello?"

"Akira! Arya! A Shadow has been detected, hurry and meet up with us soon!"

Exchanging a glance with each other, they both hurried to the given destination.

Arriving a little bit late, both of them saw that the others were already fighting against Rope Shadow.

"Be careful!" called out Hikari, struggling against five Kuros "His rope can quickly tie around and steal your weapon!"

Together, everyone decided it was best to blast and shoot at him from afar. However, before the smoke could clear, a stream of ropes shot out and wrapped itself around everyone, lifting them off the ground. Struggling, everyone was soon smashed into the ground, cancelling their transformations.

Before he could inflict any more damage, a voice rang out saying "That's enough Rope Shadow!"

Recognizing the voice, the ToQgers quickly turned their heads to see the Emperor of Darkness walking toward them.

"Zett." warned Right.

"Yo, Right. Still shining I see." he replied with an eerie smile.

"What are y-"

"I didn't come here for you." he interrupted "I came here to meet your new friend." as he walked closer to Arya, never taking his eyes off of her.

Still on her knees, Arya stared back at him but didn't dare to move as his shadow loomed over her.

Extending out a hand, he asked her calmly "Would you care to accompany me for a day?"

Silence echoed out as she contemplated for a moment if she should risk going with him. As if the silence was a satisfactory answer, he began to reach for her hand.

"Stay away from her!" shouted Akira as he pushed Zett out of the way.

ToQ changing, he rushed after the emperor, weapon in hand.

Annoyed, Zett blocked his attack swiftly by grabbing onto his arm and forcing him to the ground with the energy of his darkness. The power to much to handle, Akira's transformation was cancelled again, yet the emperor did not stop his attack. It was if he was forcing Akira to release into his Shadow form like before.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" cried Arya as she ran up to pry Zett's grip from his arm.

"I'll go with you, just don't hurt anyone else!" she pleaded.

Relinquishing his flow of darkness and taking one last glance at Akira, he turned to face Arya.

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"I'm sure." her voice quivering.

Silently taking hold of her hand in his, Zett led Arya into his Darkliner, leaving the others paralyzed in shock at what just happened. It was only Akira who displayed anything besides shock as he clenched both of his hands in frustration in the dirt.


	9. Through the Darkness

Upon boarding the Darkliner, Arya was startled by the sheer amount of darkness surrounding her. Her heart beating rapidly as memories of the Shadows that slaughtered her comrades began to resurface in her mind, Arya could do nothing about the fear that made her legs give out. However, she didn't crash down onto the floor as she had imagined. Bringing her back into reality was the strong grip of the emperor who had caught her from falling. Her face buried into the soft fabric of his shoulder, Arya began to blush at how ridiculous this made her.

"Are you okay?" he spoke, amused.

Desperately wanting to lie and say that she was fine, Arya guessed that he could feel the beating of her heart, so she stayed quiet.

"I never expected the Empress of Light to be so scared of the dark." he mused.

Offended and blushing a darker shade of pink, Arya pushed herself away from him.

"I am not afraid of the dark!" she demanded.

Chuckling, he responded "Then why were you clinging to me for so long?"

"I wasn't clinging! I just happened to have tripped and you caught me so…" letting her voice trail off, Arya glanced back up to see that the emperor was smiling, clearly amused by the situation.

"Maybe, _you_ were clinging to _me_." she said, annoyed, a small smile forming on her lips.

Taking a step closer to her, the emperor leaned down to whisper "You have a beautiful smile."

Her smile disappearing, she stepped away from him "Stop it, I...I'm not…"

The darkness surrounding him, almost clinging to his body, sent fear crawling back into her mind. If it weren't for him catching her again, she might have surely fainted from fright.

"Are you okay?" he asked alarmed as they were both kneeling on the floor by now.

Taking a moment to calm her breathing she replied quietly "Yeah, I'm fine...please, just don't...don't do that again."

"I'm sorry." he apologized "I never meant to scare you, it's just... don't leave." he finished, his grip around her hand growing tighter.

Staring back at him, Arya murmured "I'm not leaving."

Standing up, Zett left Arya alone for the rest of the train ride.

* * *

"Wake up." Zett commanded as he nudged her leg with his foot.

Slowly opening her eyes, Arya realized she had fallen asleep on the floor. Standing up, she noticed that he held out his hand expectantly. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his as they boarded off the train.

"Your Majesty!" called Nero as he came rushing up to Zett, pausing as he stared at Arya appearing from behind "Why have you brought the Empress of Light here?" he questioned quietly.

Clearly annoyed, he shoved past Nero without responding, followed closely by Arya in hand.

"Your Majesty, what is your reason for doing this? Surely the ToQgers are planning to take action by now! Your Majesty?" pestered Nero.

"Be quiet." he replied coldly, sending Nero flying back from a wave of darkness.

Clearly shocked by this, Arya released her grip from Zett as she rushed to Nero's side.

"Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly, helping him back up.

Equally shocked by her kindness, Nero stuttered "Y-y-yes. T-thank you, your m-majesty-" noticing the stern look he was getting from Zett, he became silent.

"Get out." demanded Zett.

"Y-yes your Majesty." replied Nero, bowing before exiting the room.

Once he left, Arya turned to face Zett "Why did you do that? You could've seriously hurt him!"

Not meeting her gaze he responded "He is a subordinate, he is expected to follow my orders."

"So what?" she asked, grabbing hold of his arm "You are comrades, you should learn to get along!"

"Comrades?" he questioned "Why act friendly to those beneath you when in the end, they'll have to die for your sake?"

Releasing her grip, Arya watched as Zett climbed up to his throne. Sighing, she decided to go sit down on the couch and wait until he was ready to talk again.

After a few minutes or so, she became bored from the silence.

"Why do stare at the mirror so much?" asked Arya.

Shifting his gaze to her, it seemed that he was deciding whether or not to answer the question.

"I-"

"Emperor of Darkness, Zett!" echoed a shrill voice.

Turning toward the entrance, a Shadow dressed in green came storming in.

Sighing, he replied "What is it this time Mork?"

"What is it this time you ask?!" she shrieked "Just look at what you brought to the Castle Terminal!" pointing her staff at Arya.

"What about it?" he challenged.

"Of all the shining objects you wish to obtain, you bring back with you the one that could kill you?" Mork demanded "The Empress of Light is completely off limits to you!"

Extremely angered by this, Zett released a massive wave of darkness at Mork, sending her stumbling back against a wall. Storming up to her to take hold of her neck, he yelled "Arya is nothing like the others! What makes you think that I can't make a goddamn decision for myself?!"

"_Zett."_

Turning around, he realized that he hadn't been controlling the direction of his attack on Mork. Hunched over on the ground was Arya, gasping for breath against the suffocating darkness.

Releasing his grip around Mork who cowered away, he rushed over to scoop Arya up into his arms.

"Arya, are you okay?" he asked quickly "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine…" she mumbled, her eyelids slowly growing heavy "It's just...too much...darkness...to handle…"

Falling unconscious, Arya could faintly hear the shouts of Zett.

* * *

Upon waking up, Arya saw that she was still in the Castle Terminal. Except this time, she was laying down and covered by blankets.

"Arya?"

Moving her head slightly, her gaze rested on Zett who was sitting on a stool right next to her. Still dizzy, she wondered if she was imagining the worried-look on his face.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"An hour." he responded.

"Oh."

Before any of them could respond, the Shadow Line monitor flashed, revealing a screen that displayed the ToQgers fighting Rope Shadow. Realizing that they needed help, Arya quickly got up, rushing toward the door.

"Wait!" called Zett as he grabbed a hold of her arm "What are you doing?"

'What do you mean what am I doing? I have to go help them!" she said.

"Why?" he asked, clearly confused "Why risk your own well-being for them?"

"It doesn't matter who they are, Zett!" she exclaimed "I made a promise to myself that I would protect anyone, even if it means jeopardizing my own life! Now please, help me get to them!"

Staring at her in disbelief, he eventually agreed with her as they boarded the train back to Earth.

After dropping her off, Zett couldn't help but replay the events they had together.

"_Why did you hurt him?"_

_"You are comrades, you should learn to get along!"_

"_I made a promise to myself that I would protect anyone!"_

Smiling and feeling the light tingling of her touch on his hand still, he said to himself "Amazing, you surely do outshine the others, Arya. One day, your light will be mine."

* * *

"Weren't you scared?" asked Kagura.

After they had defeated the Shadow, everyone quickly bombarded Arya with questions. She explained most of the story to them, as some parts were too personal to tell or would surely worry them.

"Kind of, I guess..."

"Did he hurt you?" demanded Akira sternly.

"No, he didn't, Akira." she responded calmly.

Soon satisfied by her answers, the others allowed Arya some time by herself. However, she managed to have kept herself up very late at night. Gazing out at the blurred lights outside, Arya went through the memories of that day.

"_You have a beautiful smile."_

"_Arya is nothing like the others!"_

"_Are you okay?"_

"_Why risk your well-being for them?"_

Somehow, Zett's words managed to make her feel that she was lying to herself more than to the others. Curling up by the window, she forced herself to sleep.


	10. Experimenting Quirks

**Hello! Here's a light-hearted chapter to take a break from the seriousness of the past few ones. I hope you continue to enjoy my fanfic!**

* * *

"Arya?"

Realizing that a hand was being waved in front of her face, Arya quickly blinked away from her daydream.

"Ah, sorry Kagura. Did you say something?"

"No, not really. But…" she trailed off, glancing in the direction Arya had been staring off to "Um… what were you doing just now? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, that." she laughed "No, nothing is wrong, Kagura. I was just wondering about everyone. It's no big deal."

Curious, Kagura urged her to say more with a pleading look, clasping her hands together.

"Seriously, it's not important!" she insisted.

"Pleasseeeee!" Kagura whined.

"Alright already, I'll tell you! I don't know what you are so curious about." said Arya.

With a look of excitement, Kagura leaned in closer to hear every word the empress was about to say.

Sighing, she continued "All I was wondering about were the quirks everyone seems to have."

Leaning back with a confused expression, she asked "Quirks?"

"Yeah, you know, the little flaws they have. Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

Kagura still had the same quizzical look.

"Well, for starters," Arya began, gesturing to Kagura "You always give yourself a pep talk when fighting Shadows."

Pointing to the others she continued "Tokatti's quirk is that he always adjusts his glasses, Hikari uses his kendama to concentrate, Right is constantly eating, and Mio worries for everyone else."

Nodding her head in understanding, Kagura was soon struck with a brilliant plan.

"But do you know one person who's missing from that list?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"You mean Akira?"

Quickly pulling her up from table, Kagura dragged Arya by the hand off the train.

Stumbling as they raced through the grass, she called after her "Where are we going?"

"I have something fun planned! Now let's go!" she cheered.

* * *

Knocking the door to Akira's train, Kagura quickly dropped off a cardboard box by the steps as she raced back to the bush Arya was crouching behind.

"Can you tell me what exactly is going on?" demanded Arya.

"Shhhh." hushed Kagura placing a finger on her lips. "I'm showing you Akira's quirk." she whispered.

"With a box?"

Shaking her head, Kagura peered through the bush, barely containing her giggles. "Look!"

Sighing, Arya joined with her as they both waited for Akira to step outside.

Wondering as to why anyone would knock at his door, Akira cautiously peeked his head outside. Glancing from side to side, he saw that no one appeared to be around. Confused and just about to go back inside, he noticed the cardboard box with the sign "Open Me" written on the top. Preparing for a surprise attack, he pulled out his Applichanger in hand as he used his foot to nudge the lid open. Eyes widening in shock, silence ensued.

"I don't get it." whispered Arya "This doesn't show anything!"

Kagura tapping her shoulder quickly and pointing widely back at Akira, Arya could see that he had dropped his Applichanger and orange ressha, his mouth open in surprise.

Before she could say anything again, a high pitched squeal echoed in the area. Realizing that the sound came from Akira, both could see that he was on his knees and elbow deep inside the box.

"What did you put in there?" panicked Arya.

Now giggling hysterically on the ground Kagura's only reply was her finger pointing back at Akira. Swiveling her head back in his direction, Arya was shocked at what she saw.

Clawing their way out of the box were none other than kittens! Not only that, but she was surprised to see Akira cuddling with them!

Covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing she exclaimed "Is he crying?"

Yep, Akira was smiling so broadly from joy that he soon began crying as the soft faces of the kittens nuzzled up to him.

"See?" Kagura asked once she stopped laughing "Akira's quirk is kittens!"


	11. Raining Thoughts

Listening to the soft pitter patter of the rain against the window, Arya and the others were gladly reminded of the peace and quiet these last few days. Not one sign of a Shadow was detected as they slowly passed through each town, giving them a refreshed sense of hope in their battle against the Shadow Line. More importantly, it relieved Arya that the nightmares had not return lately, either.

"Don't you seem quite happy today, your majesty." said Conductor, settling down near the edge of her seat. "I haven't seen such a genuine smile like that from you since you've arrived."

"There's been a lot of things lately that are worth smiling for." she replied, still peering out at the rushing scenery outside.

"I suppose so." he responded quietly, glancing at the group of friends at the other end of the room.

Turning her head to see what Conductor was staring at, she responded "You and President chose well."

"Really?" he asked, an amused glint in his eye "I never thought I'd hear that from the one person who's always tried to do things her way."

Smiling, she said "It's good to try something new every once and awhile."

"I suppose you're right, your majesty." he said, remaining quiet after that.

"Something wrong?"

With a deep sigh, he responded quietly "Do you feel lonely, your majesty?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing, it's just...you seem pretty distant from the others."

Taking a moment to comprehend what he had just said. Arya realized that he was right. For the last few weeks they've spent together, the ToQgers and her hadn't really spent time together that much. Arya saw that she was an outsider to their friendship, while the others thought of her as only the empress. The only person she spent the most time with was Akira.

"Does it matter?" she whispered "We're comrades, isn't that enough?"

"Is it though? Are you content with being just comrades?" he questioned.

For a moment, Arya's mind flashbacked to her conversation with the Emperor of Darkness.

"_You are comrades, you should learn to get along!"_

"_Comrades? Why act friendly to those beneath you when in the end, they'll have to die for your sake?"_

"I know it must be hard for you...getting close to others again, your majesty." spoke Conductor, breaking her from her flashback "But you shouldn't let your death stop you from-"

"I understand, Conductor." Arya spoke hurriedly, tears on the verge of spilling out as she turned her attention back to the window.

Taking a moment to look at her one last time, the Conductor slowly got up to leave the empress in peace.

Clutching the stone resting heavily around her neck, Arya closed her eyes to control the mess of emotions rushing through her mind. However, when she opened her eyes, she could've sworn she saw the tall figure of the emperor standing outside in the pouring rain as if waiting for her to come out and join him.

* * *

"Your Majesty!" spoke Nero worriedly "Are you feeling unwell? Ever since the Empress of Light left, you've been behaving differently!"

"How so?" Zett asked, bored, as his chin rested in the palm of one of his hand that was propped up on one of the arms of his throne.

"Well, you've been quite unresponsive." said Nero cautiously "And you haven't been allowing us to send forth Shadows to the Human World."

"Why the rush?" he asked.

"Excuse me, your majesty?"

"Why the rush to send out Shadows when we know they'll be defeated by the ToQgers?"

"Your Majesty, with all due respect-"

"Nero! Don't waste your breath!" called Mork, entering the room "His Majesty is only behaving this way because he's upset that he couldn't play with his precious new light any longer!"

Casting only an annoyed glance at Mork, Zett remained quiet.

"Is this true, your Majesty?' questioned Nero, remembering the kindness the Empress of Light displayed to him.

"So what if it is?" he challenged.

"Hmph, see Nero? If only you had stopped his Majesty from leaving the Castle Terminal, he wouldn't be acting like this!" demanded Mork.

"Excuse me?" cried Nero.

"Can't you both just be quiet for a moment!" growled Zett, standing up from his throne.

"W-we're sorry, your Majesty." they replied, taking this as an order to leave.

Watching them leave, the emperor could now rest in silence, only hearing their muffled conversations echo through the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, Zett knew that what Nero said was right. His mood had changed since Arya left, but it wasn't her that was causing it. Lately, Zett was experiencing what he would consider nightmares. However, none of it made any sense as they were only flashes of images. Hardly recognizable, Zett always woke up not able to remember the images, but still feeling the fast beat of his heart. Feeling the need to get some fresh air, he boarded his train to Earth, in hope of seeing Arya again.

Breathing in the cool air around him, Zett took shelter underneath a tree, watching the rain drip slowly off the already soddened leaves. Hearing the distant sound of a whistle, Zett opened his eyes to see the Rainbow Line passing by. Probably hidden by the drooping branches of the tree, he continued to watch the speeding colors of the train in silence until it completely vanished. Smiling, as he knew Arya was the only one who noticed him, Zett boarded his train back to Castle Terminal.


	12. Picnic For Two

Heart racing and feet pounding the ground as she swiftly navigated the closest route to the park, Arya clutched the picnic basket closer to her chest.

_Hurry, move faster! You're definitely going to be late! _she panicked to herself.

Stressing about whether she was making a huge mistake or not, Arya was beginning to think that she should just turn around and pretend the idea never crossed her mind. Yet seeing him there, waiting like she had hoped, forced her to keep moving forward.

Slowly, as his image grew clearer with each step, Arya recognized his familiar white and purple clothing. His calm, yet emotionless, face gazing out toward the ocean as his back leaned against a tree. The breeze blowing his dark, black hair gently.

Hearing the sound of her footsteps swish through the tall grass, he called out "You're late."

Halting as their eyes met, Arya paused for a moment to think if he was actually angry.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up for our date." he grinned teasingly.

With a sigh of relief, she continued her walk over beside him, setting the basket down between them.

"First, this is not a date." she demanded "Second, I was only late because Right and the others kept asking questions of where I was going. You're lucky I was only 15 minutes late."

"I guess you're right." he spoke, taking her hand in his "I never expected the Empress of Light to want to see me again."

Chilled by the cold touch of his hand, Arya quickly sat down and rummaged through the picnic basket.

"I wasn't able to eat lunch." she said hurriedly "So I thought it would be a good idea to pack something for both of us to share." as she brought out sandwiches, fruit, and bottles of water.

Realizing that he was not paying attention to anything of the slightest to what she was saying, Arya quickly handed him a sandwich as she began to quietly eat hers, facing the opposite direction and avoiding all eye contact with him.

For awhile, both of them didn't say anything, sitting beside each other in silence. Glancing from the corner of her eye, Arya noticed that Zett had unwrapped his sandwich and had taken a few small bites. For reasons unknown even to her, she considered this really cute and innocent for the Emperor of Darkness, and blushed slightly.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" asked Zett once Arya had swallowed her last bite.

Remembering how she sneaked a letter to Castle Terminal one night, she replied calmly "I just have some questions to ask."

"Really?" tilting his head to one side.

"What else did you expect, a murder?" she teased. However, Zett seemed uncomfortable once she mentioned the word murder, as he recounted the last few attempts from his subordinates.

"If you don't mind, I have a few questions of my own to ask you." he spoke, leaning back onto the tree.

"Okay...I guess that seems fair."

"You can go first." said Zett.

Thinking for a moment, Arya finally asked "Have you killed anyone?"

"What?" surprised at her first question.

"I'm serious, Zett. Have you killed anyone?" she repeated.

"No." he replied "Have you?" giving her a cold look.

Prepared to give the same answer as him, Arya remembered all the Shadows she had slayed. Biting her lip, she lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Your turn." he said, turning his head away from her.

"Oh, um…" still recovering from her embarrassment "What was your life like, before becoming emperor?"

Staring back at the ocean, it seemed Zett wasn't even going to answer the question.

"I don't remember much." he spoke quietly "My life was always surrounded by darkness. I had nothing...no one, but myself. I suppose I was always destined to become emperor, yet my body was too weak, so I guess that's why they sent me into the void of darkness."

For the first time since they met, Arya truly saw Zett as more than just the ruthless Emperor of Darkness everyone claimed him to be. In this moment, he was vulnerable, _human_ almost. Reaching over, she interlaced her fingers with his.

"What's it like?" he asked, breaking the silence between them "Living in the light, I mean."

"Well...it's, peaceful I suppose." she began "It's good to see everyone smiling, being happy all the time and caring for one another. Everybody holding onto hope, despite the troubles that they may face in the future."

"You know Arya, I would sacrifice anything in the world to be able to-" cutting him off from his sentence was a wave of pain, causing him to collapse to his side.

"Zett! Are you okay?" she exclaimed.

"I'm fine. It's-" clutching the fabric near his heart, another wave of pain pulsed through his body, having him curl up around himself.

Realizing it was due to the over exposure of light, Arya quickly grabbed hold of the Heaven's Stone and placed a hand on Zett's chest. Focusing her energy as the stone's healing abilities took effect, Arya's only sign that it was working was that his breathing slowly returned to normal.

Lying on the ground, Zett rasped "What...did you do?"

"Don't strain yourself, just rest there for a moment." she urged worriedly.

Standing up to gaze down upon her, Zett spoke menacingly "Arya, whatever that light was, I will obtain it someday. Just like all the others, your light will shine for only me." Boarding his train, he soon vanished from sight.

Her heart still beating rapidly and her hands shaking she whispered "One day, Zett, I do hope that one day, you do find the light you're looking for."


	13. Truth and Lies

Dragging her feet in the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves that littered the ground, Arya's mind swirled with worry and doubt as she made her way back to the Rainbow Line. So much had happened that afternoon that she was left with more questions than ever and answers that never seemed to be satisfying enough.

_When compared to Zett, am I the true villain? _she wondered as she thought back to their conversation. _For all I know, he's doing the exact same thing I'm doing. He's protecting his kind from the light, while I'm protecting mine from darkness. Are we just destined to keep fighting each other for survival, or will one truly extinguish the other?_

Slowly approaching the entrance to one of the trains, she took a moment to force herself to appear cheerful as to avoid suspicion from the others. Hiding all her doubt and worry, she walked in.

"Hello?" she called.

Immediately, all conversations halted as everyone's gaze was directed at Arya.

"Is everything alright?" she asked nervously, shifting her feet from side to side.

"Where were you?" spoke Akira as he appeared behind her, his arms folded across his chest.

"What do you mean?" pasting an innocent smile on her face "I was having some alone time at the park."

"Then why didn't you answer your communicator?"

"I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention." she replied.

"Really?" Akira responded coldly "Because Nero showed up at the fight claiming that the Emperor of Darkness was missing."

"Well that doesn't mean-"

"We saw the letter, Arya."

Staring back at Akira with shock, Arya could just feel her heart stopping. Knowing that there was no going back now, she looked at the others with guilty eyes and told them the truth.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking? demanded Akira "Meeting the Emperor of Darkness alone, he could have killed you!"

"But he didn't." grumbled Arya, slouching in her seat.

"Akira calm down." said Mio as she placed her hand on his shoulder "I'm sure Arya is able to protect herself."

"You don't know what the emperor is like!" he spat "Don't you even dare think for a second that he is anything close to innocent!"

"I'm not saying that-"

"Excuse me?" interrupted Arya, abruptly standing from her seat "What do you know about Zett? Nothing, that's what!"

"Why are you defending him?!" shouted Akira.

"Enough!" demanded Conductor, stepping between Akira and Arya "It's been a long day for everyone, why don't you all go and get some rest, have some time to cool off."

However, no one dared to move from their place as the tension only seemed to be rising between Akira and Arya.

"Look, I may not have been with Zett for him as long as you had Akira, but I know that there might be some good in him!" she pleaded. "I can help him!"

"No." spoke Right sternly. "Arya, whatever good you might have seen in him, that's all a lie. Zett is ruthless, he wants to steal the light from others, and he won't stop until he is satisfied."

"Y-you're wrong, Right. You're all wrong! I will prove that Zett isn't like that!" Arya exclaimed as she stormed out of the room, leaving the room in silence.

* * *

"Your Majesty!" cried Nero, pacing back and forth "Why didn't you tell any of us you were leaving the Castle Terminal to meet with the Empress of Light?"

"Does it look like I have to answer to any of you?" he responded tiredly.

"Well...no." replied Nero.

Looking up, he noticed that the emperor was gazing at the mirror beside his throne again. Realizing that he was going to be entranced by it for awhile, Nero quietly dismissed himself.

Once he left, the reflection in the mirror quickly changed to show the image of Grita.

"I know it was you, Grita." said Zett coldly, his gaze fixated on the reflection "You were the one that caused me to collapse in front of Arya, am I right?"

"I don't know what you mean." she responded innocently, turning to face away from Zett.

"No matter what you do, Grita, you will never be able to control me." he threatened.

"I never wanted to control you."

"Then why'd you do it?" he demanded.

Pausing, she then spoke "Because you do not deserve her kindness."

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with Arya?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I can see within your heart, Zett, more than you can see yourself." she whispered "You're lonely, you seek the company of others, but you're afraid to get close. Your desire for the shining brings destruction to those around you and yourself."

"Shut up." he growled, clenching his fists tightly "That's not true, you're lying!"

"Am I though? Then why did you run and lash out when Arya helped you?"

Silence hung in the air as Zett struggled to come up with a answer.

"Who knows if she'll even want to you again." said Grita.

"That's enough!" he demanded "Leave me alone!"

Soon, the reflection in the mirror returned to the image of the emperor, reminding Zett that he was again, alone.


	14. Understanding and Trust

Echoing loudly, the train's whistle signalled their imminent departure, the train cars rattling as the wheels slowly grinded into rhythm. With a few clouds blotting out the setting sun's rays, the inside of the trains casted a mix of orange light that sliced through the shadows. Sitting alone in the far end of the row of seats, Akira watched the flickering movement of light against the darkness.

"It's a little dark in here, don't you think?" said Conductor as the room illuminated back into its white essence.

Not bothering to turn around, Akira only sank deeper into his seat.

"I probably should've asked if you wanted me to turn the lights on, huh?" he continued, sitting in the seat across from him.

"Conductor." spoke Akira "I know why you came in here, just say what you need to already."

"You're right." he admitted with a soft chuckle "I guess you were already anticipating me coming in here."

"Out with it then."

With a small sigh, he answered "Listen, I trust what you say about the Emperor of Darkness, but maybe you shouldn't have acted that way at Arya."

"It was for her own good!" exclaimed Akira "If she can't understand the danger she's putting herself in, then she might as well hand her life over to the Shadow Line!"

"Well, you can't completely blame her. It was only a matter a time before the Emperor of Darkness took an interest in her."

"That is why we need to keep her away from him! It's the only way to protect her!"

Another soft chuckle escaped as he responded "Not too long ago, I was saying the exact same thing you are."

"What do you mean?" Akira questioned.

"Back when I first met the empress, I was shocked to see such a small, little girl standing before me. She was hardly tall enough to reach my hip!" he explained "I just couldn't believe it, someone so young was to carry the responsibility of the Rainbow Line on her shoulders alone someday. For years I took care of her, and each day I worried and pestered her about her safety. If I had any control, I would have locked her inside the trains all day long. But the thing is, as time flew by, I could see that she wasn't the little girl anymore. She was finally becoming independent and didn't need me protecting her anymore. She was fully capable of making decisions for herself."

"Then what do we do?" Akira asked.

"Nothing."

"How can you say that?" Akira demanded "Are you just going to allow her to get hurt?"

"Of course not, Akira." Conductor's voice becoming more strained "However, it is not my decision to tell Arya what to do, she's bound to get hurt some time right?"

"But she's the empress, isn't it in the best interest of the Rainbow Line to keep her safe?"

"Some things are just beyond our control." whispered Conductor "You can take all the precautions and heed all the warnings, but some things just aren't good enough."

"Conductor…"

Breathing heavily, he buried his face in his hands "Then you're left wondering what you did wrong. If things could have been different."

"Conductor?" asked Akira "Did something happen to Arya?"

"Long ago, there was a war that broke out between the Shadow and Rainbow Lines. We did all we could to help her escape, but somehow, she got caught up in the battle herself. In the end, we found her barely breathing on the field. She was lucky to have enough energy to seal herself within the Heaven's Stone." replied Conductor, his voice hoarse "But we had given up hope of her return after so long."

"Then shouldn't we try to keep her safe?" he pleaded.

"No." he responded strongly as he stood up "Protecting her now is only prolonging the inevitable. When she dies, I believe it will be when she is ready."

Exiting the door, Conductor called out behind him "Besides, it's in her nature to want to save everyone. I can't deny her desire to do just that despite it being the Emperor of Darkness."

Alone once again, Akira was left still wondering about Arya.

_Does she truly believe the Emperor of Darkness can be saved?_


	15. Dreams or Memories

"_Conductor! Conductor!" squeaked a little girl "It's the ocean! Look, it's over there!" bouncing in her seat as her small finger pointed to the wide expanse of blue._

"_Really, your majesty?" he asked as he peered out the window "It looks like you're right!"_

"_Are we stopping here? Please please please!" she pleaded, her hands clasped together hopefully._

"_I don't know… maybe you should ask Ticket." he teased._

"_Ticket~!" she wailed "Can we please stop here?"_

_Pulling out a puppet from behind and moving its lips to Conductor's silly voice "I don't know, have you been good today?"_

"_I have!" she exclaimed, shaking the puppet violently "Please, let's stop here!"_

"_Alright, alright already!" shouted Ticket "Stop shaking me!"_

"_Yay!" the girl cheered as she ran out of the room to prepare for departure._

"_Man, she's become quite the handful." said Ticket as he turned toward Conductor._

"At_ least now she can release some of that energy outside." replied Conductor "We won't have to worry about anything else being broken today."_

* * *

"_~Attention passengers, we will be stopping at Subarugahama shortly~" announced Conductor through the intercom._

_Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Arya could hardly contain her excitement as she waited anxiously by the door. Slowly, as the wheels came to a grinding halt, she quickly bursted out the door...only to be dragged back in._

"_Hey! Lemme go!" whined Arya._

"_Hold on, your majesty. We need to go over the rules before I let you go off and play." said Conductor, amused._

_With a groan, the small empress crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Rules are dumb."_

"_I know, but it's to keep you safe, okay?" he replied softly._

_Not wanting to waste anymore time, she brought her attention back up to him._

"_Okay, so no going off with strangers, be nice, keep yourself out from danger, and don't use your powers for no good reason, got it?" he asked._

_Nodding her head vigorously, she then turned and sprinted off._

"_Be back by dinner!" Conductor called out._

_Ignoring what he said, Arya continued to run until she finally reached the shore. First enjoying the soft, warm sand between her toes, she slowly moved closer to the lapping water. Hesitantly, she dipped her foot in the cold water, only to immediately pull it back out and bury it under the dry sand. Determined to reach the ocean, she covered her eyes with her hands as she ran straight in. Chilled, the empress forced herself to stay put until she was used to the temperature. Peeking between her fingers, Arya stared at the warped image of her feet underneath. Giggling, she lightly traced the surface of the water with her fingertips._

"_Right!"_

_Turning toward the direction of the faint call, she noticed a group of kids huddled together by a tree. Curious, the empress quickly waded out of the water and hurried over._

"_Right, that was very stupid!" she heard as she slowly approached the group of friends._

"_You could have died!" cried the one in pink._

"_But I didn't!" the boy in red replied, laughing._

"_Is everything alright?" Arya called._

_Surprised, everyone turned to face the mysterious girl._

"_Did something happen?" she asked._

_Stepping forward, the girl in yellow responded "This idiot, Right, decided to climb the tree and ended up falling off it."_

"_But I saw it Mio!" complained Right as he tapped the side of his head "I saw myself reaching the top of the tree!"_

"_I-it doesn't work that way, Right." muttered the boy with glasses._

"_At least I imagined myself alive!"_

_Before anyone could make a retort to that, Arya spoke up "You must have a lot of imagination!"_

_Standing up, he exclaimed "Exactly! She...uh...what's your name?"_

"_Arya."_

"_Arya gets it! You can do anything with imagination!" he announced "By the way, I'm Right if you didn't already know. This is Mio, Tokatti, Hikari, and Kagura." he said as he pointed to each individual._

"_So what are we going to do now?" whispered Kagura._

_A moment passed in silence until Tokatti offered to play tag._

"_That's a great idea! You can play, too if you want!" he declared, pointing to Arya._

_Smiling, the empress nodded her head in agreement._

_For the past hour or so, the group of friends and Arya played nothing but tag across the field. Of course, they eventually got bored with plain-old tag and decided to change the rules. Some of these rules included only tagging the person with your left hand, running backwards, doing something silly before reentering the game, or just being eliminated from the game until one is left standing._

_It was during one of these that Arya was extremely tired out and decided to hide behind a tree. Panting heavily as her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest, she plopped right onto the soft patch of grass. Eventually calming down, she began to scan her surroundings to see if anyone was running after her. Though she didn't see any of the others, she did see someone different amidst the shade of the trees._

_Quietly walking up behind the tree the boy was leaning against, she peered over his shoulders to see him fiddling with a black stone. Curious, she tapped the top of his head and asked "What's in your hand?"_

_Startled and a hint of annoyed, the boy immediately closed his hand around the stone and turned his body in the other direction._

"_I'm sorry!" Arya blurted as she kneeled beside "I didn't mean to scare you!"_

"_Go away." he mumbled._

"_Do you forgive me? I'm not leaving until you forgive me." she pestered._

"_Fine, I forgive you." he replied hastily, still facing the other direction._

"_You're lying." she demanded as she sat closer to him "I'm not leaving until you can really mean it."_

_Who knows how long they sat like that, but Arya's stubbornness can only last so long. Just about ready to scream at him again, the boy turned around and opened his palm to her, revealing the dark stone._

"_Here." he muttered._

_Surprised, she stared closely at the stone, entranced by its smooth, black surface._

"_Can I hold it?" _

_Shrugging his shoulders, he dropped the stone into the palm of her hands._

_Immediately, Arya could sense something was wrong as her mind instantly felt dizzy. Her eyes blurred, she could've sworn black tendrils were pouring out from the stone. Scared, she quickly returned the stone to the boy's hand and faced the other direction, on the verge of vomiting._

"_Are you okay?" the boy spoke softly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder._

_Taking a moment to catch her breath, she responded "Yeah...I just didn't feel well."_

_Swiveling back around, Arya could see that the boy still had a worried expression on his face._

"_I'm fine now." she assured, smiling._

_Relieved, the boy faced forward, leaving them in silence once again._

"_So…" began Arya awkwardly " I'm Arya. What's your name?"_

"_Zett." he replied._

"_Hmmm, I don't think I've heard that name before." she mused "So, Zett, what are you doing out here alone?"_

_Silence._

"_Do you have any friends?"_

_Silence._

_Waving her hand in his face she asked "Hello? Did you hear me?"_

"_No." Zett replied coldly "I don't have any friends."_

"_What?" she exclaimed. "No friends?"_

_Concentrating, Arya soon came up with a brilliant idea. Snatching his hand and raising it high in the air, she declared "I will be your friend!"_

"_What?" surprised first at the pain as she yanked his arm, second, by her announcement._

"_And since we are friends, we should go do something together!" she exclaimed, attempting to drag him off the ground._

"_Wait! Are you sure about this?" he spoke quickly "I'm not...normal."_

"_Not normal are the best kind of friends!" she said. _

_Still, Zett remained unsure._

"_So what do you want to do first?" Arya continued._

"_I don't know…" he mumbled "There's a festival tonight...do you want to go to that?"_

"_That sounds great! Let's meet up there, okay?" _

"_Okay, you promise?"_

"_I promise!"_

* * *

_Arriving back to the Rainbow Line, Conductor was already standing by the door to welcome her home._

"_How was your evening, your majesty?" he asked._

"_It was great! Will we be stopping throughout the night?" _

"_I believe so, why?"_

_However, Arya was already inside busying herself with getting ready for the festival. Of course, her excitement didn't leave any room for an appetite, so the only thing she could do was watch the sun set as the stars began to speckle the sky._

_Just about ready to walk out the door, Conductor came rushing in._

"_Your majesty, we have to go, a Shadow has been detected here!" he cried urgently, pushing her back in her seat._

"_So? Aren't we suppose to handle it?"_

"_Not this time." he gulped "It's a much stronger Shadow."_

"_I can't go now! I have a friend who-"_

"_There is no time for that, Arya! Sit down, we're leaving!"_

"_No!" she wailed "Conductor, I- I made a promise!" by now, tears were running down her face as she desperately tried to explain. "We can't go now!"_

"_Arya, I don't have time for this. We are leaving, and that is final!" shouted Conductor, as he strapped her to her seat, leaving to prepare for departure._

"_Conductor, no!" she cried out, struggling in her seat. But it was too late, slowly, she could feel the movement of the wheels grinding against the tracks._

_Sobbing her heart out, Arya could hardly form a coherent sentence. Glancing out the window, she could see the lights of the festival beginning to fade away from sight, tearing apart her heart even more. The only thing she could do was continue to scream and cry for Conductor to turn back. But he never did._

* * *

Gasping, Arya quickly sat up from her bed.

_A dream...it was all a dream._

Breathing heavily, she hugged her knees toward her chest, rocking slightly forward and back.

_Why am I still crying then? _as tears continued to fall.

_What was I dreaming?_

All throughout the night, she replayed the scenes of her dream over and over again. In the end, Arya could never tell if some bits were real, or just her imagination.


	16. Carnival Ride

"_Attention everyone, we will be arriving shortly to the next station."_

Glancing up at the monitor, Kagura asked "Is there a Shadow?"

"Well it's about time." said Hikari, pausing the rhythmic clicks of his kendama "There haven't been any signs of them lately."

"Yeah, but why wish them back?" yawned Right "Isn't it good they haven't disturbed any towns?"

"Yes, but they could be plotting something huge for all we know." he replied.

"Whatever they do, we can handle it." explained Right, stifling another yawn.

"But what if-"

"Good morning, everyone!" called Conductor as he entered the room "Today is a beautiful day with no indication of a Shadow in the next station. Be free to go and explore as the train receives maintenance."

"Hurray!" cheered everyone, except Hikari who was still bothered by the lack of Shadows.

"What are we going to do today guys?" asked Right excitedly.

"Well, I would love to go shopping." responded Mio.

"I'll go to!" piped in Kagura.

"How about some training?" inquired Hikari.

"I was actually hoping to go sightseeing." Tokatti replied.

Groaning, Right exclaimed "These ideas are boring!"

"Nobody is making you choose between these options, Right." said Mio "You can go anywhere you want."

"Yeah, but I don't want to do the same thing every time! It's boring eating by myself." he complained.

"How about going to an amusement park?" Arya chimed in.

"I vote that idea!" announced Right, raising his hand.

"Well, I guess we haven't been to an amusement park in a while...I vote that idea, too!" joined in Kagura.

Soon, everyone else agreed that the idea was good and began skimming through pamphlets of the town.

As Arya flipped through the pages of the town guide, she stumbled upon information of a summer festival. Her heart fluttering as scenes from her dream came flashing back, she couldn't help but think about Zett.

"Huh?" questioned Akira as he appeared from behind "What's everyone doing?"

"Akira, come and help out!" said Mio as she handed him a stack of pamphlets "We're looking to see if there are any amusements park in the town to go through."

"Why do I have to-"

Abruptly standing up from her seat, Arya asked hurriedly "Can Zett come along, too?"

"What?!" exclaimed everyone in unison.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for asking." she began "But I think this would be a good idea to, you know, prove that Zett isn't all bad."

"No." said Right sternly, as memories of his first encounter with Zett resurfaced his mind "He is not coming along."

"Right, please!" pleaded Arya "I promise I'll make sure he doesn't do anything wrong!"

"My answer is still-"

"Let him come." interrupted Akira, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm fine with it."

"Eh?" shocked by his response, Arya turned to face him "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But why?" she whispered.

Remembering his conversation with Conductor, he replied confidently "Because I trust you."

Looking back at the others, they hesitantly nodded their heads in agreement with Akira. Surprised, Arya quickly thanked all of them and promised that this will be the only time Zett will tag along with them. Rushing out through the door, she went straight to the Rainbow Line phone and called Zett.

* * *

Growing more nervous after each ring, Arya began to wonder if he was ever going to answer.

"_Hello?"_ replied a feminine voice.

Extremely confused, she asked "Hello? Who is this?"

Sighing with what sounded like annoyance, she responded "This is Madame Noire of the Shadow Line. Who are _you_?

"Oh, um... I'm Arya, Empress of Light."

Silence hung in the air.

"So...uh, can you tell Zett to meet me here at the Rainbow Line?" she asked.

For awhile, Noire didn't answer, almost causing Arya to hang up and try calling again. However, before she could do that, Noire quickly replied that she would pass along the message.

Sighing with relief, Arya joined back with the others in search of an amusement park.

* * *

"Ah! I found one!" announced Tokatti.

Peering at the pamphlet in his hand, Mio noted "Wow, look at all these rides! It's even walking distance from here, good find Tokatti!"

"Well...t-thank you...it was nothing…" he blushed profusely.

"He's here." mumbled Right coldly.

Crowding around the windows, everyone could see the blurred colors of the Darkliner rushing past a few feet away. It's loud rumble vibrating the walls around them as they waited anxiously for the person within it. Soon disappearing from sight, it revealed the lone figure of the emperor standing amidst the field. Of course, he wasn't alone for much longer as they noticed Arya running up to him.

"Oh good, you got my message." breathed Arya, smiling.

Distracted by the crowd of onlookers by the window, Zett teased "Your friends are staring."

Embarrassed, she quickly glanced back to see the others turn their heads away from their direction, pretending they weren't just caught spying.

Just about to apologize, he interrupted "Don't worry about it. This just means that today is going to be fun." as he dragged her toward the trains.

Pulling him back, Arya replied "Listen, Zett, I don't want you causing trouble today."

"When have I ever caused trouble?" he humored.

"I'm serious Zett, please promise to behave."

Looking back, he could see in her expression that she was both equally serious and nervous. Beginning to wonder what lengths Arya took to allow him to join, he replied earnestly "I promise."

However, this had the opposite effect of what he had hoped for when he noticed her eyes shift toward the ground. Just about ready to ask her what was wrong, the ToQgers clustered around them.

"Okay, judging by the map, the amusement park should be over...there!" declared Tokatti, pointing to the east.

Leading the way, Tokatti, Mio, and Kagura quickly walked forward as they all surrounded the map. Following them, Arya and Zett stayed beside each other, with the others staying behind to keep an eye on the emperor.

"Why did you let him come?" hissed Right.

"Like I said, I trust Arya." replied Akira.

"Yeah, but…" glancing cautiously back at Zett.

"Don't worry about." he reassured "If he does decide to pull something on the empress, I'll let you handle him."

* * *

"We're here!" cheered Kagura excitedly.

As everyone was still catching up, Zett took the time to drink up all of his surroundings. All around him he could see endless colors and people just shining vibrantly. It was just as exciting as the first time, and he savored every bit of it.

"Hey, will you be able to handle all this?" asked Arya worriedly.

"I'll be fine." he replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

"So where are we going?" announced Right. At that, everyone turned toward Arya expectantly.

"You guys can go wherever you want, Zett and I will stick together." she said.

"That is not happening." declared Right "We agreed on this idea so we could stick together."

"Okay, okay." admitted Arya "We'll follow you guys then."

With that decided, everyone rushed off to nearest ride.

Grabbing hold of Zett's hand, she quickly pursuited after the others. "Come on, we don't want you getting lost!" she called with an amused grin.

After running for so long, Arya began to question if the others knew where they were going. Just about ready to call out to them, she noticed them stopping near the line for the rollercoaster. Gazing up at the tall twisting metal, Arya could just feel her heart stop.

"G-guys? C-can I not go on this?" she stuttered.

Surprised, the ToQgers turned to see Arya cowering behind Zett.

"You're scared, too?" comforted Kagura.

The empress nodded her head vigorously.

Smiling mischievously, Right replied "Well, it's time that you conquer that fear!"

"Eh?!"

Before she could even escape, everyone grabbed onto her and dragged her up the steps to the ride.

"Guys? You can't be serious, right?" she shouted as they strapped her to the seat "Don't make me do this!"

Once ready, the rollercoaster screeched as it began to start up, the others standing back to watch. Throughout the entire ride, all anyone could hear was the blood curdling scream of the empress, even parents had to cover the ears of their children.

However, as the ride slowly winded down, everyone began to worry of the wrath Arya was going to inflict on them. Quickly getting out of her seat, she stormed over to Right who was still in hysterics and punched him in the arm so hard that he stumbled to the ground. Walking over to Zett who also watched the ordeal in amusement, she squeezed his hand tightly and mumbled "I hate you."

Cradling his arm gingerly, Right suggested they go to a different ride. Of course, Arya and Zett sat out through all of them, as she threatened anyone who dared to force her into another one. The only other ride they did go to, was the ferris wheel.

Each passenger car allows only two people within them, so the pairs were set as Arya and Zett, Mio and Kagura, Hikari and Tokatti, and Right and Akira. Despite the horrible mood she was in earlier, Arya couldn't help but be amazed at the view of down below.

"Zett! Zett!" tugging his shoulder as she directed his gaze to her left "Look at the ocean! Isn't it beautiful?"

Peering over, he could see that she was right. With no clouds obstructing the sky that day, the sun was free to shine down on the ocean, giving the illusion that the water was shimmering.

Glancing back at the awed expression on her face, Zett couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing about?" Arya teased.

"You, of course. One moment you seem to be shrouded in darkness, the next you're shining brilliantly!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" she asked, amused "Well what about you? You seem to be enjoying yourself today."

"Maybe." he said quietly "But it's not the same."

"What do you mean?"

Shifting his gaze directly at her, Arya could feel a chill run down her spine.

"It hurts." he spoke "Being near all this light. My instincts keep urging me to envelop everything in darkness, to steal and take everyone's light." he whispered.

"If it hurts so much, then why do you stay here?" she answered softly.

"Because I don't want to go back." he murmured, sadness clouding his eyes.

"Oh, Zett…" closing her eyes, she rested her head in the crook of his neck "If only I can take away your pain."

Although her soft hair grazing against the skin of his neck made him flinch at first, he didn't dare to move. He wanted to cherish this moment, the moment where nothing else mattered except only her understanding. But like all moments, they don't last very long.

Shifting her head back up, Arya could see that the others were waiting for them down below. As their passenger car slowly halted on the ground, she and Zett got out to join them.

"Arya, we're going to go and eat now." Mio said as they arrived "Are you hungry?"

"Not really, you guys go on ahead, we'll catch up with you later." she responded.

"Okay, meet up with us in an hour." soon running to rejoin the others.

"Are you hungry?" Arya asked Zett.

"I don't know. I've never eaten human food." he replied.

Scanning the booths around them, Arya caught sight of something far off.

"Zett, stay here. I'll be right back." she said excitedly as she made her way through the crowd.

Sighing, he went in search for a place to sit in the shade.

_Are you enjoying yourself?_

"Grita." he growled "Don't you dare try to pull another stunt when Arya comes back."

_When have I ever done that? _she replied innocently.

"Why you-"

"Who are you talking to?"

Turning around, he saw Arya carrying a bag of colored fluff.

"Nobody." he muttered "What's that?" pointing to the thing she was holding.

Smiling, she tore off a piece of the fluff and handed it to Zett. "It's cotton candy, try it."

Seeing him hesitate, she ripped off a piece for herself and bit into it, smiling to show that it was good.

Curious, he bit off a small piece of his and rolled it around inside his mouth. Surprised at how the softness quickly evaporated and left only the sweet flavoring, he continued to gobble down the rest of his cotton candy, leaving bits of sugar around his lips. Giggling, Arya gestured for him to wipe off his mouth, but instead he used his tongue to lick the sugar off, resulting in more laughing from Arya. Just about ready to reach for more, an explosion went off.


	17. Hidden Darkness

** Thanks goes to Aka-Baka Hoshi for providing input on how to edit this up! **

* * *

Pushing past the fleeing crowd of people, Arya and Zett began to see the full extent of damage caused by the explosion. With the area quickly emptying, all that remained were scattered chairs and tables, the charred fabrics of tents, and the Shadow, clearly enjoying the destruction he'd just created.

"Shadow monster!" called Arya "I should have known it was you who caused all of this!"

Shifting his menacing gaze at her, he sneered "Well if it isn't the Empress of Light, how convenient for me."

"What do you mean?" narrowing her eyes. Yet instead of answering, the Shadow took this is as an opportunity to send forth black tar spiraling toward her.

Quickly drawing forth her sword, she was able to deflect the attacks easily as she slashed through their darkness. However, as she prepared for a direct counter-attack, she faced a new problem. Caught within the thick sludge that formed his body, Arya's sword was slowly began to sink in. Horrified, she soon realized that her arm managed to be partially enveloped inside also. With no other option, Arya attempted to blast her way through with light, hoping for an opening within the sludge so she could escape. Struggling to keep up with the substance's fast regeneration, it soon became apparent that she was just about to be fully surrounded.

"Sludge Shadow!"

Crashing into them both was a wave of darkness, causing the monster to release Arya while also sending him flying back.

"I thought I made it clear to you idiots that the ToQgers and I were not to be disturbed today!" demanded Zett.

"Forgive me, your Majesty." he muttered as he started to pick himself up "But I don't follow your orders anymore!" he shouted as he sent forth a stream of sludge at him.

Reflecting the attack with another wave of darkness, Zett realized it was only a distraction for him to grab a hold of Arya.

"Let her go!" he shouted, preparing for another blast of darkness.

"If you want her back, then follow me." he sneered as he fully consumed Arya and melted on the ground, creating a gateway to wherever he was taking her and Zett.

Having no other option, he pursued them in the rapidly vanishing portal.

* * *

Finishing off the last few of the Kuros that swarmed throughout the park just moments ago, Right and the others began to regroup at the pier.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Hikari, undoing his ToQ change.

"I believe so." responded Mio as she noted the few scrapes and bruises everyone received.

"Well, I guess you were right, Hikari." muttered Tokatti as he adjusted his glasses "The Shadow Line was planning to attack."

"Yeah... but I didn't see any Shadow." replied Kagura "We only fought the Kuros, right?"

Exchanging quick glances, everyone realized that she was right. There really was no sign of a Shadow.

"Where's Zett?" demanded Right.

"I don't know." answered Mio worriedly "In fact, I hadn't seen Arya since we left them together to go eat."

"I knew it! I knew he couldn't be trusted!" insisted Right angrily as he balled his fists tightly. "This was obviously a trap to kidnap the empress!"

"Calm down, Right." said Hikari, placing a hand on his shoulder "We don't know that for sure. They could be fighting off the Shadow somewhere else for all we know."

"Why are you defending him?" he demanded "What, are you just going to start believing he's good just because Arya does?"

"I'm not saying that at all." he argued calmly. "I-"

"ToQgers!" called Akira "Come here, I need to show you something."

Walking over, everyone began to see the appearance of black smudges splattered across the ground and fabric of tents. However, none were as concentrated in one area than the small pool Akira was crouching by.

"What is this?" asked Kagura as she inspected the puddle cautiously.

"It's sludge." explained Akira "I recognize this sort of substance used by a Shadow."

"So what does this mean about the disappearance of Arya and Zett?" questioned Right.

"Well, I'm not saying this is what exactly happened." he began "But from what I know of his capabilities, it's more than likely that the Shadow's main goal was to kidnap both of them and lead them somewhere else. However, I don't think he could've taken them that far."

"How can you tell?" Tokatti asked.

"Despite his ability to consume others and hold them in his body, it would be too much weight to carry both the emperor and empress over long distances. Not to mention that Arya would have injured him beforehand."

"Either way, we'll have to split up and track them down as fast as possible." ordered Right.

With a quick nod of agreement, everyone soon dispersed in opposite directions.

* * *

With hacking coughs, Arya spat out the black sludge that managed to crawl into her lungs. Shivering in disgust, she noticed that she was plastered head to toe in the dark substance. Too exhausted to even care about her appearance now, she glanced wearily at her surroundings. Unfamiliar with the jagged boulders that protruded the shoreline and anything else but the ocean, Arya sighed in defeat.

"Where...are we?" rasped Zett, wiping away tar from the corner of his mouth.

"I don't know." she replied "I-"

"Well, well, well, your Majesty." came a taunting voice "So glad that you fell into my trap so easily."

Glaring at the appearing figure, Zett growled "Noire."

Recognizing the name immediately, Arya focused her attention on the white, porcelain face of the Shadow as she slowly made her way toward her.

"And thank you." she mocked "For being the perfect bait."

"What do you want, Noire." he seethed, suddenly defensive of Arya.

"Don't think you don't know!" she shrilled.

Grinning smugly, he replied "You're out of luck if you want Grita back." as he placed a hand upon his chest.

"How dare you!" she screamed as she sent a beam of darkness toward him. "Give me back my daughter at once!"

"Like hell I will! he roared as he changed into his Shadow form.

_Grita? Who is she, and what has Zett done to her? _Arya wondered.

However, she didn't have much time to worry about others as she felt the cold grip of Sludge Shadow wrap around her neck. Lifting her off the ground, an outpouring of the sludge around his arm threatened to reach down her throat once again. Struggling for air, Arya called out feebly to Zett.

"Arya!" he exclaimed.

Just about ready to direct his onslaught to Sludge Shadow, Noire called out after him.

"Emperor of Darkness, I wouldn't take another step if I were you! One more move out of you and I'll order Sludge Shadow to snap that pretty, little neck of that empress of yours." she threatened.

His eyes still focused intensely on Arya, he didn't dare to move as Noire approached him.

"Now, obey and release my daughter." she ordered coldly.

"_Zett...don't…"_ Arya began to whimper, but was quickly silenced by the tightened grip of Sludge Shadow.

"What will it be then?" asked Noire. "Will I be taking the life of Grita, or hers?"

Tearing his eyes away from the empress to Noire, he responded "Fine. Have it your way."

* * *

_"I'm setting you free." _

_"What?" Grita questioned as she turned to face the approaching emperor._

_"You heard me. Get out." he demanded._

_"But why?" she asked curiously._

_"Stop pretending." he growled "I know you can see what's going on out there."_

_"Oh, you mean this?" she replied innocently as she revealed a display of images within the black walls of his inner world._

_Glancing only for a moment, Zett remained silent as he continued to gaze coldly at her._

_"Maybe I don't want to go." she said, turning her back to him._

_ "It wasn't a question, Grita, get out." he retorted._

_"But you need me."_

_"I don't need you, nor do I need anybody." _

_"Then what about the empress?"_

_"What about her?" he growled, narrowing his eyes into slits._

_Facing him once again, Grita answered "She's the reason you're doing this, right?"_

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Zett muttered, shifting his gaze away from her._

_"I think you do." she said, stepping closer "We both know that you are more than capable of escaping this situation, but because her life is threatened, you are willing to give me up, right?"_

_"Tell me Zett." she whispered softly "Are you in love with her?"_

_Suddenly, a wave of darkness crashed into Grita, sending her stumbling back. Looking up, she could see that fear flashed within the emperor's eyes._

_"Get out." he demanded once again._

_"Why are so afraid of admitting that you actually care about someone for once?" she asked angrily._

_"I am not afraid, and I do not care about her!" he responded forcefully, sending another wave of darkness at her._

_"Liar!" she yelled as she sent her own wave of light, radiating out at him. "Admit it, you are just like me! Despite living your life in darkness, you actually care about someone in your life for once!"_

_"I am nothing like you!" he snarled, enveloping his inner world with darkness once again "You don't know a goddamn thing about me, do you Grita?" _

_Slowly he walked over to her, an air of menace surrounding him as black clouds flooded the floor. Grabbing hold of her hand, he forced her to look him in the eye._

_"Do I shine, Grita?" he asked coldly "Do you see anything within these dark, empty voids?"_

_Cowering from fear, she didn't dare meet his gaze as her hand trembled in his grasp._

_"Look at me!" he commanded._

_Suddenly, a fiery burning sensation shot up her arm as she opened her eyes to see dark tendrils wrapping themselves around her skin. Screaming, she tried to get away, yet his strong grasp forced her to stay and endure the ever growing pain._

_"Let me go!" she shrieked looking him in the eye "Please, stop!"_

_Yet the more she stared at him, the more she realized that she was no longer looking at Zett. With the darkness and black tendrils trailing around his skin like ink, his form was changed into something much more horrifying. He was something beyond human now, even beyond a Shadow. It was if he was the embodiment of fear itself, and that only fed his desire to see more of it displayed from Grita._

_"Do you see now?" his voice distorted. "Light cannot reach me, nor can light ever touch me. I cannot love, care, or feel. I only desire, want, and take."_

_"Stop..." Grita whimpered "Please let me go."_

_As if his mind was suddenly released from being possessed, Zett let his hand go limp. Running in fear, Grita quickly left his inner world. _

_Drained of his energy, the emperor soon found himself collapsing. But before he was fully enveloped in darkness, he whispered "Arya."_

* * *

"Grita!" cried Noire as she rushed over to comfort her daughter.

Strained from enduring the pain of relinquishing her, Zett was forced back into his human form as he fell to the ground. Sweating and taking weak, raspy breaths, he forced himself to roll onto his back. Counting each rise and fall of his chest to reassure himself that he was alive, he then looked wearily at the two Shadows.

"I guess you really do shine better on the outside, Grita." he mumbled to himself.

Clutching his heart in search of the familiar flare of light he held just moments ago, was nothing but emptiness. Nothing. Just like that, Zett was left with nothing but darkness yet again. All that remained inside of his heart now was anger, hatred, jealousy, and sadness.

Closing his eyes, he whispered in self-loathing "Just kill me now."

As if his wish came true, the feeling of pain burned across his chest as he felt the sharp blade of a sword puncture and tear through his heart.

Opening his eyes, he stared in shock to see the dark figure of General Schwarz looming over him, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword that delved into his heart.

"S-Schwarz." he gasped weakly as he saw the color red blossoming across his chest "H-how did you-"

Staring at him with cold, dark eyes he responded quietly "Be careful what you wish for."

Pulling out his sword in what seemed like agonizingly slow torture, Zett felt as if every nerve of his body was on fire.

_Kill me. Finish me off. _he begged silently. But his mouth and voice refused to work as he helplessly watched Schwarz walk away.

_Come back! _he screamed inside his mind _Don't leave me like this! Just-_

_"Zett!"_

Turning his head slowly, his eyes took in the horrified expression of Arya.

"Zett!" she yelled again, her voice becoming much more clear to him.

"A-Arya?" he muttered softly.

Hugging him closer, she began to sob quietly. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." she mumbled through her tears.

Looking up, he could see that dark tendrils were beginning to wrap around her crying figure, intricately woven as if they were creating a spider web. Soon entwining themselves around Zett, he slowly realized that this was not his own darkness, rather, it was Arya's. Staring in amazement, he watched as her aura of light was fused to create such radiating darkness. Taking it all in, he felt his energy return just marginally, but it was just enough to feed his desire for more. However, just as he had gotten a taste of this shining darkness did he begin to feel himself slipping into unconsciousness.

_One day, I will have all this light and darkness to myself._ he thought to himself. Because in the end, that was all Zett was, selfish. This was all he knew, and no one was going to stop him.

* * *

"Arya!"

Still cradling the limp body of the emperor, she looked up to see the blurred images of the ToQgers coming her way.

"What happened to you?" they exclaimed in shock as they saw the sight of her and Zett stained in crimson blood.

"Guys." she whimpered "We have to-"

"ToQger!" interrupted Sludge Shadow "Today is the day I will eliminate you once and for all!"

"Oh really?" asked Right as he prepared to ToQ change "We'll see about that!"

Watching the others transform and fight, Arya worried more and more if they were ever going to be able to get Zett help.

"Your majesty, what happened?" cried Akira as he appeared quickly from behind.

"Don't worry about me!" she demanded "Please, help me bring Zett back to the Rainbow Line!"

Understanding the urgency in her voice, he followed orders immediately as he draped the emperor's arm over his shoulder. Hurrying back to the trains, he halted midway as he sensed a strong presence of darkness.

_This darkness, it's not normal. _he wondered _Where is it coming from?_

"Akira, we have to hurry!" exclaimed Arya as she dragged him by the hand.

Suddenly, it was as if fear enveloped his heart the moment their hands touched. Placing the pieces together, he stared in horror at the empress as she dragged him along.

_No, it can't be._


	18. Heaven's Stone

"Wagon, we need you!" cried Akira as he and Arya bursted through the entrance of the trains.

"Conductor?" Arya called out when no response was given.

"Hurry and go find them!" ordered Akira as he began to lay the emperor's body into the nearest seat.

Adrenaline kicking in, she quickly sprinted off to each train, desperately searching for any sign of them.

"Conductor!" she exclaimed loudly as she flung open the door to the monitoring room "We need your help! Where's Wagon?"

Startled by the deafening sound of her voice, Ticket stuttered "W-we d-don't know w-where she is, y-your majesty."

Groaning, she replied "It's fine, let's go!" as she dragged them out the room.

Following closely behind as she led him back to where Akira was, they began to faintly hear the voice of Wagon drifting through the door.

"Iyaa~" she cried as they entered the room "What happened to the Emperor of Darkness?"

"We don't have time to explain!" demanded Akira "Hurry and go get the medical supplies!"

Nodding her head dutifully, she pushed past Conductor, who had just begun to process the situation.

"Your majesty! Are you okay?" he asked as he noticed the blood that covered her dress.

"I'm fine." she replied, turning to face him "But do you think he'll be okay?" she whispered as she glanced at Zett.

"I don't know." Ticket murmured "He's suffering more than just physical wounds."

"What do you mean?"

"As Emperor of Darkness, it would be extremely dangerous to be near any light, especially the Rainbow Line."

"Then what are we suppose to do?" she demanded.

"I don't know your majesty." replied Conductor "But bringing in darkness is definitely not an option."

Now drowning in a new wave of emotions, Arya buried her face in her hands as she sat down in defeat.

_There must be something I can do. I can't just let him die. Not after I promised…_

Abruptly standing up, a new idea burned through her mind as she made her way over to Zett.

"Your majesty, what are you doing?" called Conductor from behind.

With a new air of determination forming around her, nothing was going to be able to stop her from making this decision. Unlatching the chain around her neck, she quickly fastened it back onto Zett. The once bright and vibrant white color of the Heaven's Stone slowly becoming a dull black.

"Your majesty!" cried out Conductor as he pushed her away from the emperor. "What do you think you're doing?" as he shook her violently.

Smiling weakly, she turned to Akira and whispered "Take care of Zett for me." before she collapsed.

* * *

Slowly stirring out of her sleep, Arya opened her eyes to see the familiar pale walls of her room. With the faint glow of the moon shining through her window, she began to realize that it was probably night out.

_What day is it? How long have I been asleep?_

Sitting up underneath the heavy layer of blankets, she noticed that someone had also cleaned and dressed her in new clothing.

_Must've been Wagon. _she thought as she stared at her hands, free of dried blood.

Laying back down, she closed her eyes as she listened to the soft beating of her heart.

_I'm alive._

However, as she reached to grasp the smooth stone that always rested atop her chest, she found that she was gripping nothing but air. Panic rising, she almost stumbled out of bed to alert the others when she realized...

_Zett has it._

Flooded with relief, she willed her heart to return to its steady rhythm. Though it still remained in it's fast and uneven pulse.

Exhausted, but unable to sleep with the unnerving thought of Zett dying still fresh in her mind, she forced herself out of bed. Shivering as her feet touched the cold floor, she quietly tiptoed through the trains.

* * *

Like everywhere else, the lights were off as she peered into the darkened room. However, the room was slightly better illuminated as there were multiple windows to allow fragmented bits of light in. Quickly spotting the sleeping figure of Zett, she quietly walked over and slid into the seat adjacent to his. Though it was still quite dark, Arya could just faintly see that blood remained on his unchanged clothing and hands. Wondering if they just left him like this because he was dead, she was relieved to see the slight rise and fall of his chest. Leaning in closer, she began to notice the small, red scar that was etched over his heart. Reaching over, she gently traced the wound with the tip of her finger. A habit she had of doing the first few weeks of her nightmare with her own faded scar.

"You shouldn't be here."

Surprised, she quickly turned to see the tall looming figure of Akira by the doorway.

"Don't scare me like that." she hissed softly as she made her way over to him.

"You should be resting." he insisted.

"Lower your voice, you'll wake everyone!" she said, placing a hand over his mouth. "What are doing back here anyway?"

Gently moving her hand away from his mouth, he whispered "I never left."

"What do you mean?"

"After the ToQgers defeated the Shadow, they came back to see both you and the Emperor of Darkness unconscious. Everyone thought it was best to wait until you woke up before we started moving again."

"How long has it been?" she asked worriedly "How long have I been asleep?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied "A day or so."

"Thank goodness." she said with deep sigh of relief "I'm so glad I-"

"Why did you give the Emperor of Darkness the Heaven's Stone?" he interrupted.

"It was the only way to save him." she whispered softly, looking up into his eyes.

"But what will happen to you?" he asked, his expression knit with worry "Don't you need it?"

"W-what do you mean need it?" she questioned nervously, glancing away "It's not like I'll die without it."

"Well of course, but you know the emperor." staring back at his sleeping figure "Once he has something that shines in his possession, he won't give it back."

"I'll be fine." Arya demanded "Trust me, okay?" she finished more quietly.

Sighing, he nodded his head "Okay, I will. But promise me, if anything happens to you, you'll tell me." he said.

"I promise." she replied softly, watching Akira slowly exit the room.


	19. Plans and Motives

"Your Majesty!" cried out Baron Nero in anguish as he witnessed his assassination on the Shadow Line monitor "T-this is impossible! His majesty cannot be dead!"

"Quit your blubbering, Nero!" demanded Mork, directing her attention at him.

"What?!" he exclaimed "Had you not just seen Schwarz and Noire's treachery? How can you not be distraught over his majesty's death? We cannot allow those traitors to escape!"

"Calm down." she insisted "We don't need to worry about his majesty."

"Why not?" he questioned, still clearly in distress.

"Because he has her." she responded as she pointed her staff to the girl displayed on the screen.

"The Empress of Light? How could she save the emperor?"

"Don't worry about it, Nero." called Mork as she began to leave the room "The traitors will get what they deserve, trust me, we must be patient."

Still utterly baffled by what her implication truly meant, Nero was left alone to continue in his fretful worrying, occasionally glancing back at the image of the empress.

* * *

With nothing but the low rumble of the Darkliner echoing everywhere within the train, a sense of peace and safety surrounded them, despite their treasonous acts.

Though it had been hours since he actually committed his act of revenge, Schwarz's heart still beated rapidly inside his chest. Thrill and excitement continued to pulsate vibrantly through his veins as he relished the look of fear on the emperor's face, moments before his sword punctured deep into his heart. Savoring the memory, he replayed each vivid bit. However, he did not allow these flow of emotions to disrupt his calm façade as he steered the Darkliner to their destination.

"Thank you." interrupted a voice from his thoughts.

Shifting his gaze slightly away from the tracks, he could see the poised figure of Madame Noire standing behind him.

"I do not know what you mean." he replied in his deep voice.

"Thank you, for helping us." she said again "I suppose I didn't plan all too well of what Grita and I would do after we escaped. So you have our gratitude for taking us in."

"I did not help you, I was settling my own revenge with the emperor. Taking you both in is the debt I must repay to your daughter."

"Schwarz, do you have feelings toward my daughter?" Noire asked curtly.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh please, I could from tell the very first moment she laid eyes on you that she was in love."

"Then why did you put her through all of this?" he growled, tightening his grip on the train's levers.

Taken aback by his sudden aggression, she bowed her head slightly, answering in almost a whisper "Ambition."

"What?" he asked curiously.

"For so long I had been nothing but a mere low-classed Shadow. I had nothing. No respect, dignity, or worth." she began, staring off into the distance "One day I just happened to have a taste of power and that drove my desire to become stronger, to not be worthless. I guess I didn't realize at the time who I was willing to give up for all of that."

"Like your husband?" Schwarz asked.

"Exactly." Noire whispered, lost in her own thoughts and memories.

"Then go apologize." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Apologize to Grita." he spoke simply.

"I-I guess you're right." she mumbled, surprised that she didn't even think about doing that. Bowing slightly once again, she quietly dismissed herself out.

* * *

"Mother?" called Grita as she stood up from her seat "Where are we going?"

"Oh my darling, we're going home." Noire replied joyfully.

"H-home? C-castle Terminal?" she stuttered.

"Grita, are you alright?" questioned Noire as she placed a hand on her forehead "You look pale."

"D-do we have to go back to Castle Terminal?"

"Of course, Grita, where else would we go?" she asked, still concerning herself over Grita.

"Can't we just keep going like this?" she pleaded "Just riding on the train?"

"Grita, please tell me, what's wrong?" Noire asked worriedly.

"I-it's nothing!" she exclaimed "It's just...I'm afraid of..." Slowly, memories of her last encounter with the Emperor of Darkness sent chills running down her spine. Her heart racing with fear, she began to feel the slight quivering of her knees.

"Don't you worry dear, I promise no one is going to hurt you ever again." She comforted earnestly.

"Mother…"

Taking Grita's hands in hers, Noire stared into her eyes "I can only hope that you will forgive me one day for ever hurting you."

"I have forgiven you, Mother." she replied softly.

"Maybe so, but that still does not erase my guilt." she whispered.

Letting go, Madame Noire slowly made her way out the door, leaving Grita alone in the darkened room.


	20. Morning Disaster

Though the first few rays of dawn began to filter through the windows, activity within the Rainbow Line still remained silent. Two days had passed since the ToQgers defeated Sludge Shadow, yet everyone was still weary and exhausted. Even Conductor suggested that the trains not move until everyone has recovered.

Surprisingly more energetic than the others, Arya took the morning sunshine as a great opportunity to get some work done while the others still slept. Filling a small bucket with warm water and gathering as many rags as she could find, she carefully made her way back to the room where Zett was in.

Quietly placing all the supplies on the table, she then began wringing out one of the towels after submerging it in water. The trickling of the water echoing loudly against the silence. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she gently began scrubbing away the dried blood that caked the emperor's hand.

The warm touch sending a jolt up his arm, Zett quickly jerked back his hand in surprise while his other wrapped tightly around her wrist. Opening his eyes for the first time, he glared coldly at the empress.

Unfazed by his reaction, Arya smiled happily "Glad to see that you're awake." as she calmly pried his fingers from her wrist and continued to wash his palm.

Slightly annoyed by her cheeriness, he remained silent as he watched her. The soft fabric of the rag gently rubbing his hand eventually soothing his hostility.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked as she dipped the rag back into the water "You've been unconscious for quite awhile."

Reaching over to clean his other hand, she continued her work even though he gave no answer.

For awhile they just remained like that, silent. Both of them lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Arya finished washing the blood from his hands that the situation became really awkward.

"So... uh... can you finish the rest?" she asked nervously, standing up.

"The rest?"

"Oh, well... I'm pretty sure there's blood still where, you know... where you were stabbed..."

"Do you want me to take off my shirt?" he suggested casually.

"Yeah... wait what?!"

"It'll make things easier don't you think?" he asked, already revealing his bare chest as he stood up.

"No! Stop!" she cried, her face turned bright red.

"What's the problem?"

"We have showers here, you can wash yourself!" she exclaimed.

"So?"

"This is not the place for you to be shirtless!"

"Yeah, but it was going to happen eventually right?"

"What?" she asked, her face still bright red.

"I mean, even if I wasn't awake, you were probably going to take my shirt off anyway to clean off the blood right?" he said.

"Well yeah, but..."

"So what difference does it make?" he replied, taking off the rest of his top clothing.

"Nononononono, put your shirt back on!" she demanded.

"Please?" he asked teasingly, pulling her in closer.

"Okay, fine!" she exclaimed as she pushed herself away "But once we're done, you have to promise not to tell anyone."

Clearly amused by her embarrassment, he agreed.

Slowly, Arya gently began to rub off the blood on his chest and back, avoiding all eye contact from Zett's attentive gaze. Her cheeks eventually did return to their usual rosy-pink shade as her mind drifted to somewhere other than their current situation. By the time she was finished, all that really remained was the bright red scar that laid over his heart.

"Does it hurt?" Arya whispered, tracing her finger gently over it.

"Not really." Zett replied, continuing to watch her every movement "Arya..."

"Yeah?" taking her hand away from him as she looked up.

"Why am I alive?"

"Eh?"

"Do I deserve to live?" he asked quietly.

"Of course you do!" she exclaimed "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I don't know." he mumbled.

"Everyone deserves to live." Arya demanded, forcing him to meet her gaze "Even you."

Looking back into her eyes, he could see passion and honesty shine through. But there was also sadness. A faint darkness underlying her shining light. And in that instant, he remembered. His selfishness, his desire to steal this shining darkness from her, to have her suffer. Afraid of what he could do, of what he was, Zett suddenly began to stumble back in fear, away from Arya.

"Zett?" she cried out worriedly.

Concerned over him, Arya didn't realize the pool of water that dripped onto the floor as she stepped into it quickly. Feeling herself slip, she quickly grabbed onto him for leverage, but it turned out that both of them were now falling.

"Emperor of Darkness!" shouted a voice.

Opening her eyes, Arya began to register her surroundings in horror. Upon slipping, she had managed to land right on top the bare chest of Zett, who winced in pain from falling onto the floor. Though extremely embarrassed, it was nothing compared to the horrified face of Akira by the door.

"Are you going to get off?" asked Zett, amused by her ever reddening face.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" she blurted out, standing up quickly.

"It's fine." he replied, grabbing for his clothing that was laid on the table "But are you-"

"Emperor of Darkness!" seethed Akira again.

Now understanding Arya's embarrassment, the emperor slowly turned around and responded casually "Yo, Zaram."

Enraged, Akira quickly lunged toward his throat. And he would have been successful if not Arya getting in the way.

"Akira it's not what it looks like!"

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Stop, I'm so sorry! It's my fault!"

"Stop lying!"

As the two quarreled, Zett slowly began to put his clothing back on. Once fully dressed, he took one last glance at them and began to leave.

"Zett!" called Arya as she pushed Akira away as she grabbed his hand "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be right back." he murmured softly.

Before she could even chase after him, Akira pulled her back inside, a tight grip around her arm holding her in place.

"You aren't going anywhere." he demanded "You have explaining to do."

"Fine, I will! Just make sure he doesn't leave!" she cried, still struggling in his grasp.

Sighing deeply, he dragged her back to her room where he locked the door.

"Akira! Let me out!" she called as she banged on the door.

"Don't worry, your majesty. I will handle the situation." he responded, tipping his hard hat as he went in search of the emperor.

* * *

**This chapter got weird fast... Hope you enjoyed it! XD**


	21. Stolen Terminal

Lost in his own thoughts, Zett stared blankly at the small pond in front of him as he leaned his back carefully against a willow tree. With a calm breeze blowing its dull, green foliage, he breathed out a sigh of relief in being hidden away from others, even if it was only for a moment.

"What are you doing?" called a voice from behind.

With a hint of agitation, he replied "Do you really care, Zaram?"

"Don't think I'll allow you to-"

"I'm not leaving." Zett interrupted, stepping out of the tree's shade "I promised Arya didn't I?"

"Then why are you here?" Akira asked.

"I don't know." he sighed "Just thinking I guess."

"About what?" he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

With a look of annoyance he turned back toward the willow tree, calling "You sure are annoying today, Zaram." as he entered into its shade.

"I'm only doing this for Arya's sake." he demanded, following the emperor as he brushed past the drooping branches.

"Then shouldn't you be more concerned of getting rid of me?" remarked Zett, turning to face Akira.

"I would if I could." he replied seriously "But the empress has taken an interest in proving that there's good in you, so I can't."

"Then she's wasting her time. She's a fool for thinking that there's anything remotely good about me."

Grabbing him by the collar, Akira growled "What did you call her?"

"What's the matter?" he challenged, pushing his arm away "You should know more than anybody what I'm like, so why'd you save me? You, her, and everyone else are fools for believing that I was ever worth saving."

"Let's get one thing straight, I didn't save you. Arya did." Akira hissed "You should be grateful that she even took the slightest bit of pity on you."

"I never wanted pity!" spat Zett, pushing him to the ground "Did you actually think for a moment that I wanted to live?!"

Immediately, both of them went silent as they just stared at each other, breathing heavily as they took in each other's words.

"Well it's too late now." Akira grunted as he picked himself up "As long as you're alive, the empress won't stop worrying about you."

"Do I look like I want to be a part of her pity project?"

"Look, she didn't do this for herself!" he shouted "She did this for you! She risked her own life for _you_. If you can't understand this then return to her the Heaven's Stone."

As if on cue, a small pulse began to throb gently against Zett's chest.

Lightly grasping the object around his neck, the emperor lifted it up to see the stone's dark, oval shape. Running his thumb on its smooth surface he asked softly "What is this?"

"It's the thing that kept you alive."

Looking back up, Zett saw that Akira's eyes were also drawn to the object in his hand, but with more caution in his gaze.

"That stone you're holding is Arya's." he spoke slowly and quietly "Right after she saved you, she collapsed and was unconscious for hours. It could've been from exhaustion or shock that day, but the stone... is important to her wellbeing somehow."

Glaring back at the emperor, he continued "So if you dare betray her kindness in anyway, don't think I'll even consider for a moment to forgive you."

_Arya... collapsed after saving me?_ Zett thought, too distracted to have heard any part of Akira's threat. _Why?_

_"Everyone is worth saving. Even you." _her voice echoed inside his mind.

Clutching the stone tightly, Zett quickly pushed past Akira as he began to make his way back to the Rainbow Line.

"Where are you going?" he called from behind.

"Where else?" he retorted as he kept going, never looking back.

* * *

_Attention Shadow Line, an unverified train has infiltrated Castle Terminal._

"What? Impossible!" cried Baron Nero and Mork in unison.

Just about ready to alert the guards, a voice spoke joyfully "Oh, but it is possible."

"Noire!" Nero exclaimed, turning around to the sound of her approaching heels "Why are you here?"

"Why you ask? Well now that the emperor has been eliminated, there is no stopping us from stealing back what was rightfully ours!"

_"Us?" _questioned Mork.

Suddenly, she froze as she felt the sharp blade of a sword rest just centimeters away from her back.

"Yes us." growled a deep voice.

"Schwarz!" threatened Nero as pointed the tip of his cane at the intruder "If you so as try to steal Castle Terminal, then you will have to go through me."

"Gladly." the general responded, directing his blade toward him.

"Enough, Nero!" shouted Mork "Let them be."

"What?" he gasped, lowering his cane.

"We are clearly outnumbered." she replied curtly, her eyes glaring coldly at Noire.

"My, what sharp eyes you have." she mused, gesturing for the camouflaged Shadows surrounding them to reveal themselves.

"H-how is this possible?" stuttered Nero, gazing wildly at the amount Shadows in the room.

"Noire!" called Mork "Spare our lives, and we'll let you be."

"W-what?!" cried Nero.

Chuckling, she replied "So be it, but you will have to confine to our rules and live as servants."

"Never!"

"Nero!" demanded Mork, fastening an icy glare at him "Have you forgotten what I said earlier?" she hissed.

Remembering clearly, he took one last begrudged look at the marchioness before submitting to the traitors.

"Guards, chain them!" Noire ordered.

Not daring to move, Mork and Nero allowed themselves to be forced onto their knees as their arms were chained to their sides.

"Trust me, Nero." Mork whispered under her breath "Our humiliation will mean nothing once his majesty returns."

However, Nero was far too agitated to be comforted by her words. It took every bit of willpower to suppress the shrill laughter of Noire that drilled into his ears.

_I will obey for now. But when his majesty does return, I will see to it that I watch every last second of your torture._


	22. Reasons To Stay

"You did what now?!" exclaimed Right and the others.

Groaning, Arya covered her face in embarrassment as she had to explain the incident for the fifth time "It. Was. An. Accident."

"How do you accidentally fall into the arms of the emperor when he is shirtless?" asked Hikari.

"I was washing the blood off of him and slipped from the puddle of water on the floor!" she squeaked, her face growing redder by the second.

"You know that there are showers here, right?"

"Yes I know that!" she cried indignantly.

"So did you _want_ to see him shirtless?" asked Mio.

"No! Of course not!" Arya insisted.

"You know that I prohibit dating, your majesty." warned Conductor.

"Conductor this has nothing to do about that!"

"Doesn't it though?"

"Please, can we not talk about this." she groaned, burying her face deeper into her sweater "This is exactly why I try not to tell you stuff." her voice muffled.

"Your majesty stop, you'll suffocate!" he shouted worriedly, attempting to tug away the fabric from her head.

"No I won't!" she called, burrowing her head in further.

As the others watched the two play tug-of-war, Kagura began to wonder out loud "Where's the Emperor of Darkness anyway?"

Stopping, everyone went silent as they began to question the same thing.

"He left right after the incident, so I sent Akira after him." Arya piped in as she poked her head out the sweater's neck.

"What's this about me?"

Directing their attention to the entrance, everyone saw Akira appear followed closely by the emperor.

"Zett!" squeaked Arya as she shifted out of her awkward shell.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Conductor as he marched his way over to him "Do you think we appreciate shirtless men being near her majesty?"

"Conductor, stop!" she shouted, her face blushing into a deep red again "Why'd you have to put it like that?"

At that, the whole room erupted into a great, big din as everyone bombarded the empress and emperor with questions.

"Iyaa~" shouted Wagon over the noise, carting in the afternoon lunch "What's been happening here?"

"That's it, Wagon is to blame!" announced Arya, abruptly standing up from her seat.

"Eh?!" everyone exclaimed.

"If Wagon had cleaned off the blood from the emperor, then I wouldn't have had to!"

"That is true..." mumbled Right.

Again, the room returned to its loud and noisy state as everyone began to question Wagon.

Quickly weaving her way through the crowd, Arya took hold of Zett's hand as they dashed out the door.

"I'm sorry Wagon!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Breathing heavily, Arya finally let go of her grip on Zett once they finally reached the top of a hill.

"Where are we?" he asked, letting his eyes gaze at the surroundings.

"I'm not really sure." she wheezed "But this is the best spot in the whole town, so I always try to come here when we stop by." as she leaned against tree.

"I can see why." he said, walking to the edge where there was a clear view of the city below.

"Yeah, it's especially beautiful at night." she mused.

"Do you think we'll be stopping long enough to be able to do that?" he asked.

"I don't know." Arya replied "It depends."

"Depends?" giving her a confused look.

"Are you staying?" she asked eagerly.

"Arya..." he began, turning his back toward her "I... can't."

Immediately, the eagerness disappeared as it was replaced with worry.

"Why?" she asked softly, beginning to walk over to him.

"I know what happened."

Halting, she asked nervously "About what?"

"About you collapsing. About the Heaven's Stone."

"How did you find out?" she said quietly.

"Does it matter?" he questioned "All that matters is that you're putting yourself in danger by being near me."

"Zett, that doesn't matter-"

"Stop trying to fix me!" he shouted, quickly facing her "Stop trying to think that you know everything about me!" his voice growing louder with each step toward her "Why are you doing any of this? Why are you risking yourself for someone like me? I don't need saving!"

By now they were just inches apart, Zett's shadow looming over her as he could feel the tendrils of his own darkness coil around them. He could see into her eyes that there was fear, hurt, sadness. But by now he was too far gone, unable to suppress the emotions that pulsed through his veins, his desire to understand why this light was so willing to journey into the depths of his darkness only urged him to hurt her, break her until he was satisfied.

_Why can't she see? Why can't she understand that I'm just a monster? Why won't she just run away? Why-_

"Zett." she whispered, wrapping her arms gently around him, burying her face against his chest "I just want to make you happy."

"What?" he breathed.

And just like that the darkness vanished. Everything leaving him in that instant where only nothingness seemed to fill the void.

"I know what it's like to feel alone in this world, to feel like everyone and everything is against you." she whispered "No one deserves to feel that way. But there's a feeling that hurts twice as much, and that's ignoring the people that do suffer. We can help you Zett... I can help you. Please just let me in so that I can help you find your light."

"Arya..." he choked out.

"Please stay." she murmured, her tears soaking through his clothing.

"Arya..." he repeated quietly.

"I'm sorry." she said, wiping the tears from her eyes "I won't force you to stay-"

"Arya." Zett said again, now grasping her hand "I'm staying." he whispered.

"Really?" she asked softly, looking up into his eyes.

Squeezing her hand he replied "Yes, really."


	23. Stargazing

"Come on Zett, we're almost there!" urged Arya as she raced excitedly up the slope "I promise, you're going to love it!"

Sighing, he picked up his pace slightly as he trudged after her. Making his way to the top, he looked over the ledge to see nothing but miles of forest.

"Come on, over here!" she coaxed as she dragged him over to a patch of grass.

"Arya, where are we?" he asked, halting in his tracks "Why are we here?"

"I want to show you something, and this is the best spot!"

"What are you showing me?"

"It's a surprise, so close your eyes." she replied, pulling him again to a certain spot.

"Why do I-"

"Just do it! I'll tell you when to open them."

"But-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Arya quickly sprung up on her tiptoes as her hands covered his eyes.

"Arya what are you doing?" he stammered, almost falling backwards onto her.

"Hold on, it's almost time!"

As they both fell silent, Arya directed her attention toward the sunset. Carefully watching the last few rays of light dip below the horizon, sending the area around them into darkness.

"Okay, open your eyes!" she announced as she removed her hands.

Though annoyed that she grabbed onto his face, that didn't matter once Zett took in his surroundings. Awe-struck, he gazed out around him to see the dark sky just filled with stars.

"Do you like it?" asked Arya, tugging onto his arm.

Reaching out his hand as if he was about to touch the stars himself, he breathed "I love it."

* * *

"Arya." whispered Akira as he gazed out through the train's window.

"Something wrong?"

Watching as his reflection came into view, Akira replied "Are we really going to let the Emperor of Darkness stay, Conductor?"

"I guess so." he responded, sitting down across from him "It really wasn't my decision in the first place."

"Yeah, but shouldn't we be worried about this?"

"Everyone is worried about this, Akira. Not just you." Conductor said lightly "Besides, didn't I tell you to trust Arya?"

"Well, yes..."

"If I had anything to say about this," he interrupted "I'd say that this is a step in the right direction."

"Really?" questioned Akira in surprise.

"Of course. This is the first time the empress has gone out to stargaze since she arrived."

"So?"

"She loved to stargaze before." Conductor replied softly, staring out at the night sky "Even as an adult she would beg for me to stop the trains at night so that she could climb up to the top and just watch the stars for hours."

"If she loved it so much, why hasn't she done it already?"

Lost in his own thoughts for a moment, he then responded "I've wondered if Arya had changed since the war, if she remembers the horrors she saw, if she feels responsible for all of it."

"But it wasn't her fault!" Akira demanded.

"Don't you think she would already be telling herself that?" Conductor asked sadly "Either way, if a part of her can be brought back, if she can be happy again, then I have no problem with the Emperor of Darkness being here."

* * *

"Okay, you see that one over there? That's the Big Dipper." explained Arya, her hand tracing the sky to help Zett see "And over there is the Little Dipper." pointing to a different direction.

Turning her head, she watched as Zett gazed in concentration, one arm held behind his head as he tried to make sense of all the lights that speckled the dark night.

"What's that one?" he asked, gesturing to a star with a light-blue tint.

"You mean Rigel? What about it?"

"What constellation is it a part of?"

"I don't know. You tell me." she replied, smiling.

"What? You should know more than me!"

"Yeah, but it's not like the constellations are a permanent thing, you can make up your own."

"Well sure..."

"Come on." she insisted, nudging his elbow "Try to make one."

Furrowing his eyebrows, he stared into the sky intensely, occasionally tilting his head in different angles.

"Hmmmmm..."

"What, did you find something?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know for sure..."

"Come on, tell me!" Arya insisted.

"Well... all I can see is a duck."

"What?" she exclaimed, trying hard to muffle her giggles.

"Don't laugh!" Zett cried out as he sat up "Look, there's it's beak and then the stars right there form the body and legs!" he explained, tracing the sky like Arya did before "Tell me you see it, too!"

Sitting up beside him, she smiled, still laughing a little bit from before "Don't worry, I see it." she reassured.

"Then why are you laughing?" he questioned, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, it just seems funny coming from you."

"Well, it was your stupid idea." Zett grumbled, laying back down.

"If it's any consolation, I'd say this is the most I've laughed in a long while." Arya replied teasingly.

"It's a lousy consolation." he mumbled.

"You want me to make it up to you?" she offered.

"Whatever." he replied, closing his eyes to sleep.

Taking a deep breath, Arya began to sing "Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are..."


	24. Love in Darkness

About a week had passed since Noire, Schwarz, and Grita returned to Castle Terminal. So many changes had occurred in this time span that despite Mork's promise of the emperor's return, Nero's patience was quickly wearing thin. Already humiliated and harassed by the Shadows that guarded the terminal, Noire had no problem in adding in her own taunts every day. Not only that, but she also took this opportunity to strip the interior of its identity. At her command, two new thrones were placed beside the old one, each built with the same exact stone. Drapes, curtains, and all the furniture from before were destroyed and burned before them. Even the disco ball that hung from the ceiling was smashed to shards as it was later replaced by an intricate, black chandelier. The room was nothing but a barren place of darkness now.

Distraught, Nero soon faced the reality that all his pride and respect had vanished. He was nothing but amusement to Noire now. Just barely surviving as Schwarz's sword hovered impending doom upon his throat everyday, waiting to end his life, waiting for him to finally snap into insanity. Despite all this, he stayed calm, collected, because nothing would be as satisfying as seeing these traitors die at the merciless hands of the emperor.

It was on one night in particular where he truly did think he was going insane, however. Late into the night did Nero believe to hear the grinding noise of an approaching train outside. Hope surging his heart, he quickly made his way to the balcony, disregarding the heavy chains that he had to drag behind him. Yet as he made his way out, he was greeted with the same silence as before. No movement or change within the void of darkness that surrounded them.

Falling to his knees, Nero stared into the nothingness, his mind a mix of indescribable emotions. In this moment, Nero did feel hopeless.

"Are you okay, Nero?" spoke a quiet voice.

Tearing his gaze away from the black sky, he stood up as he shouted angrily "Do I look okay?! You've taken everything away from me!"

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"It has always been your fault!" he demanded.

"Then what do you suppose I do?"

"Get out of here! Leave! Don't ever come back!"

Silence.

"Would you prefer me dead, Nero?" Noire asked quietly.

"Yes." he replied sharply.

"Then do it."

"What?"

At her command, she allowed her servants of Kuros to release him from his bindings. Approaching him, she gently laid down the porcelain handle of a knife upon his palm. Stepping back, she said "Go ahead."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm allowing you to kill me. If I die then surely Schwarz and Grita will leave Castle Terminal." she replied calmly.

Staring down at weapon in his hand, he slowly ran his thumb on its smooth surface, as if contemplating his decision.

"Well? Are you-"

With a swift movement, Nero lunged at her, preparing to finish the job with one quick slice at the neck. To feel the satisfaction of driving the knife through her flesh. Instead, the blade lingered just inches from her neck as his red eyes stared deeply into hers. Swallowing, he dropped the knife with a echoing clatter.

Never breaking their gaze, Nero whispered "I can't."

"You never could." Noire murmured softly, their faces just inches from each other.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, the strain in his voice noticeable "You could have been safe."

"I think we both know that the moment I betrayed the emperor, I was never going to be safe."

"Then why'd you do it?" he demanded quietly "Why did you do any of this?"

"'This' meaning betraying the emperor or..."

"I know the reason why you married the Duke." he interrupted coldly "To further yourself within the ranks for that insatiable ambition of yours." his cold eyes glaring down at her "Lying and cheating yourself to the top."

"You know Nero," she responded with just as much menace "You shouldn't perceive things from just their face value."

"Then why'd you kill him? Misleading everyone around you that he was murdered by another Shadow, when in reality, he was just no longer of use to you anymore besides from becoming another one of your victims."

"Maybe you're right." she sneered "Maybe he wasn't of use to me anymore, unable to get me to the top. But I didn't do it for me, I did it for my daughter."

"Then why choose him?!" he demanded "I could've provided everything for you! I could've been the one to give you what you wanted!"

Silence.

"I think we both know that even you could never give me what I wanted." Noire whispered, each word tearing apart his heart.

"But I could've given you the things you didn't know you wanted." Nero choked out "I was ready to sacrifice all my love to you... I still am." he whispered.

"Love means nothing to me anymore, Nero." she spat, tearing her gaze away from him as if hiding away tears. "Your love can't give me happiness."

"Please, Noire." he begged "We can still go back to that time, that time where 'us' was real."

In flash of movement, Noire pressed her lips against his, her hands gently tilting his head toward her. Letting the world fall apart around them, they melted into each others kisses, savoring the moment. Each second felt like hours, but the moment they parted and stared into each others' eyes felt like centuries.

"Noire..." he whispered, staring into her bright blue eyes.

"Nero, it's time you stop living in the past."

"What?"

And just like that, a swarm of Kuros surrounded him as they began to restrict his body back into chains.

"Noire!" he called out at her vanishing figure "Noire!"

* * *

_Knock Knock._

"Grita?" General Schwarz called.

Silence.

_Knock Knock._

"Grita?"

Again, silence.

Curious as to why she wouldn't answer like always, he slowly turned the bronze knob of the door as he quietly let himself in. Upon entering, he let his eyes wander around the room to see the familiar lavender purple she so loved cover every inch of the walls, but also the intricately sewn drapes her mother made hang from atop her bed.

"Schwarz?" called a gentle voice.

Turning his attention toward the room's balcony, he stared into the glowing white eyes of Grita.

"Forgive me for entering without your consent." he stammered, graciously bowing "I was worried about your safety."

"Don't worry, it's okay." she replied sweetly "Come join me out here."

Making his way to where she stood, they both stared into the sky of darkness in silence.

"I wish there were stars here." she said.

"Why?"

"They looked so pretty in the human world."

"Now you're sounding like the emperor." he teased.

Silence.

"Schwarz... are you sure you killed the Emperor of Darkness?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking.

"Of course, Grita." he replied.

"Are we going to be safe here?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure?"

"Grita, is everything alright?" Schwarz questioned worriedly, turning to face her.

Not meeting his gaze she murmured "I don't know."

"Grita," taking her hand in his "I promise to protect you, to keep you safe, even at the cost of my life."

"What about my mother?"

"I will do anything for you." he replied earnestly.

Facing him now with her bright eyes "Do you promise?"

"I-"

"Grita!" called a voice from behind.

"Mother?" Grita bellowed in reply, tearing her gaze from Schwarz.

"Oh there you are my darling." Noire cooed, not bothering to acknowledge Schwarz's presence "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Is everything alright, mother?" she asked, noticing her flushed appearance "You look-"

"It's nothing." she interrupted quickly, taking her hand in hers "Come, let's get you ready for bed."

"But-"

By then, Noire's mind was too preoccupied to listen to her daughter's protests as she dragged her away.

Watching as the door closed with a soft click, Schwarz then turned back to the view of darkness one last time. Before he could leave, however, his eye caught notice of a white cloth laying on the floor. Gently picking it up, he realized it was actually a white handkerchief with a sloppy image of a rose sewed into it. Realizing this was most likely Grita's work, he whispered softly to himself "I promise." before depositing it in his pocket.


	25. Sleep and a Promise

With the morning light beginning to filter in through the curtains, Arya drowsily stirred from her slumber, the cold air sending chills up her arms as she sat up. Running a quick brush through her hair, she squinted at the star-shaped clock across from her, noticing she slept past breakfast. Though confused as to why Wagon didn't wake her like always, the idea of going back to sleep crept into her mind. Unable to resist the temptation, Arya snuggled back under the soft layer of blankets, convincing herself that she'll wake up before lunch. Closing her eyes, she let the darkness envelop her.

_Knockknockknockknockknock._

"Arya? Are you in there? Arya?" called Kagura outside the door.

Groaning, she burrowed herself deeper into the covers, hoping it would muffle the sound.

"Arya? Please answer, we need your help!"

Wondering what could possibly be so important early in the morning, she decided to continue ignoring her.

Hearing the thudding of footsteps, she then heard Hikari ask "Is she coming?"

"No, she didn't even answer." replied Kagura.

_KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK_.

"Arya? Wake up, we need your help!"

By now, the blankets had completely covered her head.

"Arya?! Get out of there!"

After a few moments passed, the empress breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking they finally left.

"Kagura, stand back." she heard Hikari order.

_Oh no._

_BANG!_

Jolting her out from underneath the covers was the loud sound of the door falling onto the ground. Her heart racing, she glared annoyedly at Hikari and at Kagura, who seemed to be cowering behind him.

"We need your help." he demanded.

"Well you didn't have to break down my door." she retorted "Conductor has keys you know."

"It's about Right and Zett."

"What?" she breathed.

* * *

Running, Arya followed Hikari and Kagura as they led the way to where Zett and Right were, worry throbbing in the back of her mind. As they met up with Tokatti and Mio who waited behind the door to the dining cart, she began to realize that everyone but her were still in their pajamas.

"What's happening?" she asked quickly.

"We're not sure, but we heard Right and Zett fighting in there." spoke Mio.

"Did you try to stop them?"

"Well... we, um... couldn't, your majesty." stammered Tokatti.

"What do you mean you couldn't?" she demanded.

"There seems to be a high concentration of darkness in there." explained Mio.

"Darkness?"

"That's why we went to get you." Hikari said "Conductor ordered us to stay out here and let you handle the situation."

Kagura nodded her head in agreement.

Sighing, she pushed her way through them, the sound of her heart beating loudly in her ears as she opened the door.

* * *

Eyes widening in horror, Arya couldn't believe how much darkness had consumed the room. Stepping back at the cold touch of one of the black tendrils, she looked up to see Zett, his hand held firmly around Right's neck as he lifted him off the ground.

"Zett, stop!" she exclaimed loudly.

Not bothering to look at her, his grip only grew tighter, causing Right to gasp feebly and drop the red ressha in his hand.

"Zett, put him down!"

Sending a wave of light that crashed into Zett, he finally released his hold on Right, who collapsed hard onto the floor.

"Are you okay, Right?" she asked as she kneeled beside him.

Still coughing, he nodded his head weakly.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded at Zett, who only looked away sullenly.

"Zett." Arya spoke softly, gently turning his face toward her "What happened?"

"It's nothing." he mumbled, not daring to meet his dark eyes with hers.

"He shouldn't be here!" demanded Right "He could've killed me!"

"Are you saying this was my fault?" he growled, grabbing him by the collar.

"Both of you stop!" Arya ordered, prying Zett's fingers from Right "I will not allow fighting!"

By now, most of the darkness had disappeared, allowing the others to finally come in.

"Right!" they all exclaimed as they began to crowd around him worriedly.

With a sigh of annoyance, Zett stalked out of the room, not caring when Arya called his name. Quickly catching up to him, she grabbed him by the hand to stop he from going any further.

"Zett, where are you going?"

"You heard Right, I don't belong here."

"Yes, you do!" she insisted "It's just going to take a while for everyone to get used to you, that's all. Just go back and apologize."

"Apologize?" scoffing, he kept on walking.

"Zett." groaned Arya as she tried to pull him back.

"Arya!"

Turning around, she could see the ToQgers running toward her.

"A Shadow has been detected!"

"Now?" she asked, glancing back at Zett who had stopped to listen.

"We have to hurry, let's go!"

"Go without me, I'll meet you there!"

Turning back to Zett, she whispered "I need you to stay here, okay? We can't have the Shadow Line know you're alive."

"Fine."

"Zett, promise me." she urged, squeezing his hand tightly.

"I promise." he replied earnestly, his dark eyes meeting her gaze.

A chill running down her spine, she quickly looked away, letting her hand drop back by her side.

"I'll be back." Arya said, quickly turning to leave.


	26. Ice and Hot Chocolate

Technically, Zett wasn't breaking his promise. As long as he stayed hidden from the Shadow Line, he could go anywhere he pleased.

_It's not like they can tell me what to do. _he thought as he kept walking.

Besides, he hated being shut inside the Rainbow Line where there was always constant noise. The only things that made the rides bearable were Arya and all the light the others gave off. But sometimes, even that wasn't enough.

Perching himself within the branches of a tree, he closed his eyes, drowning himself in the cool shade.

_You don't belong here._

Flicking his eyes open, he clutched the fabric around his heart "Grita?" he whispered.

No response.

Leaning back against the trunk of the tree, he forced his body to relax, despite his racing heart.

_Then where do I belong? _he thought bitterly, feeling his nails dig through his skin.

As if in response, wisps of darkness swirled around him, decaying the leaves they touched.

_I'm not going back. _

Brushing away the black coils that clung to his clothing, he spoke through gritted teeth "I'm _never _going back."

Silence.

_It's not your decision._

Suddenly, pain flared inside his heart as darkness began to escape from his body, the leaves surrounding him falling helplessly to the ground as their bright colors turned to black. Curling in agony, Zett grabbed hold of a branch to steady himself from falling also.

_Stop. _he willed, the branch beginning to snap from his tight grip.

"Stop." he demanded more forcefully, completely tearing the limb of the tree off.

Wincing, he breathed out a sigh of relief as the pain began to slowly ebb away, the darkness evaporating into the air. Jumping down from the tree, he stalked away, bitterness and anger pulsing through his veins.

_No one can tell me what to do._

* * *

"Ice Shadow, give up and surrender!" called Right.

Turning away from another one of his frozen victims, he sneered "ToQgers, huh? It took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder you didn't want to be another one of my ice sculptures."

Dodging his blizzard of snow, the ToQger surrounded him as they shot their ToQ blasters. However, he deflected their attacks easily by creating a shield of ice. Crashing through from above, Arya managed to land a hit directly on his arm.

"Empress of Light!" Ice Shadow stammered, cradling his injury.

Before he could say anything else, Akira came charging from behind and slashed at his back. Regrouping, everyone watched as the Shadow slowly got up.

"Not bad, ToQgers." he muttered "Now it's my turn."

Quickly, ice formed around their feet, holding them in place.

"What?" gasped Hikari, struggling to escape.

Cackling, Ice Shadow then attacked them with a stream of ice shards. Though Arya put up a shield of light just in time, her power was substantially weaker without the Heaven's Stone. The force of the attack to strong for her to handle, the barrier shattered, sending them all falling back. Hitting the ground with a sickening thud, Arya immediately felt her arm sting as warm blood began to drip onto the ground.

Too distracted by her injury, she didn't even notice that Ice Shadow had made his over to her. Grabbing her by the neck, Arya's eyes widened in shock as he slowly began to freeze her.

"Hmm, I believe you'll make a perfect sculpture." he mused.

Gasping, she helplessly clawed at his arm, her fingers beginning to go numb.

"Perfect, I love that look of horror on your face."

Her vision going blurry, Arya let her arms fall limply to her side.

"Arya!" cried the others as they struggled to get back up.

Just about completely frozen did a wave of darkness came crashing into Ice Shadow, releasing his hold and power on Arya.

Falling to the ground, she shifted her head weakly to see Zett make his way past her, an air of darkness surrounding him.

"Ice Shadow." he spoke threateningly.

"E-e-emperor o-of D-darkness." he stuttered "Y-your' re a-alive?!"

Not bothering to answer, he quickly summoned his sword as he charged at him, slashing continuously at his front side.

"How is this possible?!" exclaimed Ice Shadow, staggering back "You're suppose to be dead!"

Directing his dark eyes at him, he sent one final wave of darkness, shattering his body. Turning back to the others, Zett quickly made his way toward Arya, still laying on the ground. Scooping her into his arms, he began to walk back to the Rainbow Line, leaving just as quickly as he arrived.

* * *

"Your majesty!" cried Conductor "You could've been killed!"

Groaning, Arya looked up from her mug of hot chocolate "But I didn't!"

"That doesn't matter, you are now forbidden to fight the Shadows now!" he announced, stalking away.

"Conductor!" she complained, too cold to leave the warmth of the blankets she was wrapped in.

"More hot chocolate?" offered Wagon.

"Yes please." Arya mumbled, watching the steady flow of brown liquid.

Once Wagon left, both of them sat in silence. However, Zett couldn't help but notice her struggling to drink the hot liquid.

Sighing, he then spoke "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" she questioned, setting down her mug.

"I broke my promise." he mumbled, staring out the window.

Smiling she scooted closer to him to the point her head rested on his shoulder "It's okay, I forgive you."

"Are you sure you're okay with me staying?" he asked, talking to the reflection.

"You can ask me that question a million times and my answer will always be the same. You belong here, Zett." Arya yawned, already beginning to drift off into sleep.

Looking down at her sleeping figure so peaceful, happy, and shining. Zett couldn't help but wonder how she managed to stay like this when she was near death just moments ago. But having her here, her warmth pressed against his, made him dismiss that thought immediately. Closing his eyes, he rested his head gently on top of hers, whispering one last goodnight before drifting off into sleep, also.


	27. Broken Barriers

It's been a while, since Arya had any nightmares. The all too familiar beating of her heart and tears falling from her face in the middle of the night replaced with the soothing dream of stars. It's strange, she thought, how one moment it can feel like it won't ever leave, but then it vanishes the next day. And she was grateful for all of this, even if it was only for a short time.

Arya never talks about her dreams. Not even to Conductor. Her mind is locked behind doors far from anyone's reach, and she prefers it that way. But it's not like she wants it to be that way all the time. There are nights when she feels broken, helpless, ready to cry out for the comfort of someone, anybody, like she did when she was a child. However, she knew she's wasn't a child anymore. The only thing she can hold onto is the light, but even then that seems to slip from her grasp at times.

It hurts, she realizes, to hoard her feelings away, to believe anyone can be saved from darkness when in reality, she's just as hopeless. In a way, she was just as selfish as everyone else. But she believes, she _wants_ to believe that someone will eventually see through her façade and save her. From what, she isn't quite sure. But for now, the only thing she can hold onto is her dreams, not matter how cruel they were.

* * *

_Arya... Arya... _

_Opening her eyes, her senses immediately registered the loud crashing sound of the waves, the smell of sea salt permeating the air. Yet as she stood up, she realized she was nowhere near the ocean. _

_Gazing at the area around her, the only things she could see for miles were tall, black stone walls. Everywhere they jutted out from the ground like claws, their sleek surfaces almost mimicking mirrors. Pressing a hand lightly to one of the surfaces, it felt as if electricity ran up her arm._

_"Where am I?" she whispered._

_Arya... Arya... a voice sang._

_Mesmerized, she slowly began to walk her way toward the voice, picking her way through the stone maze. For awhile she just kept walking, alone with nothing but the occasional call of voice. But for some reason, Arya wasn't afraid. _

_Arya...Ar-_

_Halting, she swiveled around, preparing for an unknown figure to appear from behind, but there was nobody there._

_"Hello?" she called out nervously, stepping back onto one of the pillar's cold surface._

_Run._

_"What?"_

_Run. the voice urged Get out of here!_

_Turning, she immediately ran, not having the slightest clue where to go but trusting her instincts to guide her._

_Run. Run. They're coming._

_"Who's coming?" she screamed, looking back to see no one following her._

_Run. Run. They're coming._

_"Who's-" gasping, Arya felt her legs give out as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sliding off into a different direction as if the ground was ice, she clawed at the smooth surface in a helpless attempt to stop herself. Finally coming to a halt, she breathed heavily, glancing nervously around for whoever "they" were. __Breathing out a sigh of relief, she let her body relax, allowing the wall's cool surface to soothe her._

_Don't look down._

_But it was too late. Stumbling back, Arya's eyes grew wide in horror. Underneath her, beneath the depths of cold stone, were bodies. But not just any bodies, they were Right and the others, all of them, frozen, petrified below._

_"Guys? Guys?" she shrieked, banging the stone with her fists "Who did this?" she called._

_But it was no use, the voice remained quiet, and the stone remained unbreakable._

_"Empress of Light." spoke a deep voice._

_Looking up, she saw the approaching figure of a Shadow, his face devoid of any emotion._

_"Care to join your friends?"_

_"Let them go!" she demanded angrily, summoning her sword._

_Quickly, the Shadow charged at her at surprising speed, his fist digging into her gut as he sent her flying, crashing into a stone pillar. Feeling the wind knocked right out of her, Arya struggled to get back up, the shattered pieces of rock piercing her flesh._

_Not giving up, she held out her sword, prepared to strike back if he came any closer. _

_Suddenly, a different figure came from the side, sending her spiraling into another wall. Gasping, Arya clutched her side, feeling as if he just broke every one of her ribs._

_"You cannot escape." said the first Shadow, blocking her path as she tried to crawl away._

_"I wouldn't dream of it." she spat, dragging her sword up through his body. _

_Stumbling back, she watched as his body tore in half, but instead of falling, his body now grew into two separate Shadows._

_"Impossible." she whispered._

_But that didn't stop them from attacking again. Now surrounded, Arya was helpless as she suffered each hit, more painful than the last. Her vision going blurry, she collapsed to the ground, vaguely aware of the fact that they stopped._

_Too weak to even look up, she only listened to their low voices._

_"Leave her, the flood will handle her."_

_"Flood?" she mumbled, still dazed._

_Quickly, the sound of the waves returned, growing louder and louder with each passing second. The last thing she could see was the churning dark waters as they swept her off the ground._

_Spluttering, Arya forced herself up for air, the rushing waters rapidly submerging the walls below. Her entire body too bruised and battered from her encounter before to even fight against the current, she slowly felt herself being dragged down. The salt water beginning to fill her lungs, Arya's mind burned with fear and panic. Thrashing under the waves, she desperately tried to reach the surface, the sun's light just barely within her grasp. But to no avail. Believing this was the end, she stopped her pointless struggle and succumbed to the currents, wondering how she was ever going to survive this as darkness enveloped her._

_Coughing, Arya slowly regained her consciousness, the warm heat of the sun drying her still soaked clothing. Vomiting out the sea water, she then attempted to sit up, each bone in her body flaring with excruciating pain._

_"Why couldn't I just have died?" she mumbled, falling back onto the gravel._

_Taking deep, slow breaths, Arya closed her eyes, willing for the pain to just stop._

_"Are you okay?"_

_Opening her eyes, she saw a tall figure looming over her, blocking the light from the sun._

_"No." _

_"Do you want me to help you?"_

_She nodded her head weakly in reply._

_"So be it."_

_Surprised by the sudden menace in his voice, she watched as he pulled out something long and sleek from his pocket. It wasn't until she noticed the glint of the sun reflect off of it that she fully registered what the object was. Just about ready to get up and run, his cold hands clamped down on her throat._

_"You know Arya," he soothed "You shouldn't trust people like me."_

_"Please..." she whimpered, struggling under his strength "Don't..."_

_Instantly, she felt her flesh tear as he plunged the dagger into her heart, red blossoming across her chest. She screamed, but that only made him dig the blade in deeper._

_"There are darknesses in this world that should never be touched by the light." he growled._

_Why? Why am I not dead? Arya wondered, her vision going hazy as her arms grew limp._

_Watching as the figure got up to leave, his clothes stained in her blood, she laid there, numb. As darkness began to consume her, the last thing she heard was the clattering sound of the dagger._

* * *

"Arya! Arya!"

Shaking her awake from her nightmare, Zett stared at her with worry, his dark eyes somehow illuminated by the pale moon outside.

"Are you okay?"

Blinking back in surprise, Arya looked around her, the familiar surroundings of the Rainbow Line slowly drawing her back into reality.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, his cold hand now caressing her face.

_There are darknesses in this world that should never be touched by the light._

Suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of emotions, Arya could do nothing but shake her head as tears began to pool over her eyes. Burying her face in his chest, she cried. Soft but quiet sobs that shook her entire body. Each moment that passed, she silently loathed herself even more. She hated being this weak when she tried so hard to appear strong, hated having someone watch as her barriers fall apart, hated being helpless.

"Why couldn't I have just died." she hissed quietly, her finger nails digging into his skin.

"Because I need you." Zett replied softly.

Looking up, she watched him carefully, his empty eyes revealing just a hint of sadness before vanishing once again.

Though the tears continued to roll down her cheeks, Arya could feel her body begin to relax, Zett's strong hold around her lulling her back into sleep.

Watching, Zett stared as the dark tendrils that wrapped around her soon faded into the air, his gaze returning to her sleeping figure curled up against him.

"Arya..." he murmured, a dull ache filling his chest "Is this what sadness is like?"

Leaning his head back, he let sleep return to him, never fully realizing just how close he was to knowing the truth.


	28. Secrets

Zett never really understood human emotions. There were always the vague senses of hatred, envy, and sorrow that he was used to, but things such as love and happiness were almost completely foreign to him. Of course, it was unnecessary for the Emperor of Darkness, or for any Shadow for that matter, to even ponder human nature. In the end, emotions were just tools to manipulate into creating more darkness. But Zett was different. Despite being a creature of darkness, he was fascinated by the light, he loved it, he desired it. If he had the opportunity, he'd give up all the darkness in the world to have a shine of his own. Yet this still wasn't enough, he was still rejected from the light, still forever confined to the darkness.

He hated this, he hated the unfairness of it all. The only time he ever felt remotely happy was when Grita burned brightly inside of him, her presence slowly killing him from the inside, just coaxing him to lose control at any given moment. But even then, her light was eventually taken away from him, leaving a deep yearn for the return of pain, just knowing he had some sort of light within him.

Now, here he was, on the Rainbow Line surrounded by light and all things shining so close in his grasp. Everything he so desired laid out before him. Even the Empress of Light was vulnerable to his destruction in this moment. So why? Why is he hesitant? Why does he stop himself, fighting off every bit of his instincts to destroy and consume every bit of light?

He watches silently, the dark vines that swirled around Arya poised to attack at his command. The coils lurking dangerously close as they also clung around his body.

_Why can't I kill you?_

In an instant, the darkness dissipates, the room once again empty and cold. A dull and numb feeling rising in his chest, he stares accusingly at Arya.

"Why?" he whispers harshly "Why do you make me feel this way? Why make _me _feel guilty when all I have is nothing?"

Of course, there was no answer beside the slight rise and fall of her chest. The same peaceful expression on her face as she held on to his arm protectively, comfortingly.

"I don't need saving." he says through gritted teeth "You can't save me."

Though his words were filled with hatred, Zett knew deep down, he was lying. He wanted to be saved, he wanted help, but he didn't know how to get it. He wanted to feel happiness, but didn't know what it was. He wanted so many things, but they all seemed impossible and far away to obtain.

In the end, Zett was helpless, trapped. The only thing he could cling to was darkness, otherwise he had nothing.

* * *

"Good morning!"

Flicking open his eyes, Zett glared in disdain as Right and the others began to filter in the room, their voices loud and obnoxious.

_How can they be this cheerful so early in the morning?_ he wondered in disgust, turning away in an attempt to block out the noise. If he wasn't so tired, Zett was sure he would've sent out a wave of darkness to shut all of them up by now.

"Hey Zett," feeling someone prod his shoulder he glanced back "Where's Arya?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." he grumbled tiredly "How would I know?"

"Weren't you with her last night?" said Kagura.

"Yes, _last_ night, how would I know where she is now?"

"I guess you're right..." her voice trailed off "Was she feeling better though?"

Staring out the window, his mind began to wander back to the memory of last night, remembering the tendrils of darkness that poured out from her heart as she cried into his chest, sadness and hatred dwelling beneath the happiness that was always present in her eyes.

"I don't know." he mumbled, lost in thought "I don't think so..."

"What do you mean?" Kagura asked.

Surprised by the lack of concern in her voice, Zett wondered if what happened last night was the first time Arya displayed any form of darkness.

"It's nothing." he sighed, shifting his back toward her, one arm propped up on his leg like he usually did when on his throne.

"Oh, okay..."

As she walked away, Zett couldn't help but think, _Is Arya hiding something from them?_

* * *

"What?! How is this possible?" shrieked Noire, glaring angrily at the Shadow Line monitor "How is it that the emperor is still alive?"

Smirking, Mork replied "Looks like your reign will soon be over. I'd start running if I were you."

"Shut your mouth!" she demanded, pointing the tip of her dagger at her throat.

Placing a calm hand on her shoulder, Schwarz intervened "The emperor is still weak, he couldn't possibly have collected enough darkness. There's still plenty of time to insure our victory."

"You're right, you're absolutely right." she mumbled, beginning to pace back and forth "We just need to send someone out strong enough to kill him for good."

"You needn't worry about that, Madame Noire, I will gladly finish what I started."

"No!" cried out Grita as she brushed past the curtain she was eavesdropping behind "You can't go! I won't let you!"

"Grita..." Schwarz murmured, feeling her arms wrap protectively around his.

"Grita, you're being selfish." spoke Noire "Our lives are surely in jeopardy now that the emperor has returned. We need Schwarz to go out and defeat him."

"I said no, _Mother._"

Breathing out an exasperated sigh, she than asked "Then who do you suppose would be fit for the task?"

"I don't know... but I'll find someone! I promise!" she pleaded.

"Fine. So be it." she replied curtly, fixating an icy glare at Schwarz before she exited the room.

"Come." whispered Schwarz, taking her by the hand "I believe I do know someone who might be strong enough."

Once they left, Mork than turned to Nero, who had been silent during the whole time.

"What's wrong Nero?" she questioned, the chains around her rattling "You look surprised. I already told you from the start, those traitors are no match for his Majesty."

"I know... but how is he alive? We saw him get killed!"

"Tch, Nero you never listen. I told you it's because of that girl."

"The Empress of Light?"

"Yes, and when the emperor returns, we will do away with that nuisance and the traitors. It will only be us afterwards to support his Majesty when the time of pure darkness comes."

_The time of pure darkness? Mork, just what are you hiding about his Majesty?_


	29. Happiness

_"Twinkle twinkle little star"_

Fighting back the tears that were on the verge of spilling over, Arya kept going, the black lead of the pencil scarring the paper's pure, white surface.

_"How I wonder what you are"_

With a resonating snap, she tossed the pencil's remnants aside, the faint sound of the pieces skittering across the floor.

_"Up above the world so high"_

Tearing out the paper more delicately, she stared at the image, the monstrosity she created, gripping the edges so tightly that it threatened to cave in on itself.

_"Like a diamond in the sky"_

Letting it fall and brush the empty space on the floor, she gazed down upon the other nightmares that she gave life to, encircling, trapping, closing her in.

_"Twinkle twinkle little star"_

Closing her eyes she imagined. Imagined flames rising from the papers to consume her, to send her to oblivion forever in eternal darkness.

_"How I wonder what you are"_

But there was nothing but the light. The pale, yellow glow that streamed through her windows wrapping warmth around her still trembling fingers.

"What other lies or secrets do you still hide from me?" she murmured, watching the color gradually return to her skin.

* * *

_Knock knock_

With only the faint rustle of the papers beneath her feet, she tiptoed quietly to the door, pressing her face against the cool, smooth surface.

_Knock knock_

"Arya?"

"Zett?" she whispered.

"Open the door."

She placed her hand on the handle, but hesitated to turn it.

"Let me in."

With a soft click, the door opened just a crack.

"Let me see you." he said, his voice just barely a whisper.

Widening the space, she peeked her head out, the door still obscuring half her face.

"Arya," he sighed "Are you okay?"

She only lowered her eyes in response.

"Come with me." he said abruptly, snaking his hand through the doorway to grab onto her wrist as he dragged her out.

"Where are we going?" she stammered, staggering after him.

"Somewhere." he replied, looking back to send her a sly smirk.

Feeling herself blush, she looked away, forcing herself to focus on something other than Zett while he dragged her along.

* * *

"Come on, we're almost there." Zett coaxed, his hand still firmly clasped around her wrist.

"You've said that like five times." Arya retorted, stumbling on loose dirt once again "Well at least slow down for a bit."

"I promise, this will all be worth it." he replied, pulling her forward even quicker.

"This better be." she mumbled, attempting to keep up with him.

* * *

"We're here." he announced, turning back to wait for her to catch up "What do you think?"

"Hold on, just let me..." letting her voice trail off, Arya stared, _marveled, _at the breath-taking view. Rows upon rows of cherry blossom trees stretched out before them, the cool breeze sending a whirlwind of petals fluttering to the ground. It was unworldly, a dream even, but here it was right in front of her.

"Zett..." she breathed, reaching over to a drooping branch to let the pale blossoms tickle the palm of her hand "It's beautiful..."

Entwining his fingers with hers, he smiled just the slightest and continued to guide her through the forest.

With the gentle winds blowing the petals in mesmerizing swirls, Arya couldn't help but laugh as some of them managed to cling to her hair. As they swept past the endless trail of woven branches, the blossoms quivered like bells in their path. Though the sun shone brightly that day, the air was still cool enough to send goosebumps up her arm. Gradually, Arya shifted closer to Zett's side, her arm brushing against his through the purple fabric that draped over his shoulder.

"Where are we going now?" Arya asked, her voice echoing around them.

Pausing, he looked back, his dark eyes cold and calculating. His grip almost crushing her fingers as his body seemed to tense up. "Let's go." He said hurriedly, pulling her along even faster.

"Zett?" she called as they ran, the thick covering of blossoms beneath them muffling the sound of their footsteps "Is something wrong?"

He remained ominously quiet, too preoccupied by whatever to have heard what she said as they continued to navigate their way through the trees.

"Zett?" she repeated, fear beginning to creep in as she glanced behind her, fully expecting a Shadow to suddenly appear "Zett, is there a something following us? Answer me, Zett-"

"Emperor of Darkness."

Halting in their tracks, both of them quickly scanned the area around them, searching for the direction of the voice.

"Looking for me?"

Suddenly, a projectile shot out from behind, grazing Zett's arm as it implanted it's sharp, green form deep into the tree across, darkness pouring forth. Falling to his knees, he pressed his hand against the wound, wincing as blood could visibly be seen dripping out.

Drawing out her sword, Arya stood guard, alert as she searched for any sign of movement "Show yourself Shadow!"

"My, my, are you talking to me?"

Deflecting another shot from a different direction, she glared angrily at the approaching figure.

"I must say, it's quite impressive that you could deflect my attack." purred the voice.

"Who are you?" Arya demanded, her sword poised in front of her.

"Can't you tell?" it asked, gesturing to the thick tangle of thorns and vines that encompassed its body, along with the giant, crimson flower that bloomed on its shoulder "I am Rose Shadow."

"So you were the one following us." Zett growled "Why?"

"The answer is clear don't you think? I've come to kill you, your majesty."

"I'd like to see you try." he challenged, standing back up.

Charging forward, Rose Shadow sent forth a wide spectrum of thorns towards him, all of them easily destroyed by a wave of darkness.

"Is that all you've got?" Zett mocked, a hint of menace in his eyes.

Clearly annoyed, the Shadow took hold of its whip and lashed at him, each missed hit sending a plume of dirt and blossoms into the air. Finally latching onto his wrist, it pulled back in attempt to send him sprawling onto the ground. Keeping steady, Zett gritted his teeth as the thorns pierced deep into his skin.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, emperor." it sneered, holding him in place as it shot out another stream of spikes.

Quickly appearing before them, Arya retaliated with her own wave of light that barreled into Rose Shadow and its attack, causing it to fall back and release its hold on Zett.

"Pesky empress." it muttered "Let's see how you deal with this."

Slowly the ground began to tremble, rumbling louder and louder as the trees began to shake violently to the point that some toppled over.

Horrified by the destruction, Arya was too distracted to dodge the monstrous vines that erupted from the ground, wrapping themselves tightly around her and Zett.

"There is no escape for you now." Rose Shadow called, forcing the vines to constrict them even harder.

Biting back from screaming as the thorns penetrated deep into her flesh, Arya gripped the hilt of her sword until her knuckles were ghostly white. Meanwhile, Zett grimaced, realizing that there were no other options left but to summon his own Shadow form. In a burst of darkness, he tore through the vines, sword in hand as he fell straight toward Rose Shadow.

"What?" it exclaimed, unable to dodge the blade as it sliced through its shoulder.

With no control, the vines soon began to collapse all around them.

"Arya!" Zett shouted, making it in time to catch her.

"Zett?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fear and shock as he set her down gently.

With no reply, he turned and went after the Shadow once again, sharp silver fingers gripping the hilt of his own sword.

_It can't be._ she thought, watching the two Shadows clash against each other _That monster can't be Zett._ But the more she looked on, the reality of the fact became more apparent. There was no denying that the Shadow she saw, the one with fiery red eyes and cracks along the darkness of his skin and sweeping silver hair, was the one that ultimately saved her, protected her. But even then, that didn't stop her body from trembling with fear.

* * *

Coughing, Arya shielded her eyes as the dust and smoke began to clear, unable to tell who won exactly. Though she was more than capable of fighting along side Zett, there was something, a _feeling_, that kept her rooted to her spot on the ground. Now, all she felt was guilty. Guilty for thinking that Zett was any different now that he showed his true form and guilty for having him see that she was afraid of him in the moment he saved her. As minutes passed, she started to believe that he even left without her because of that. But as she heard the shuffle of approaching footsteps, she looked up to see him, Zett, coming her way.

"Arya." he said, his crimson eyes boring down on her as he extended out his hand.

There was no emotion, no trace of anything as far as she could tell reflected in his eyes. Yet the way he said her name, so caringly but hinted with worry, was more than enough to know that that was the Zett she knew. Looking straight into his eyes, she placed her hand in his without hesitation, forcing her heart to remain calm as she stood up beside him.

Letting his gaze fall away from her to where their hands met, he took a moment to run his thumb over the small knuckles of her hand before entwining his fingers with hers. This was a normal gesture of Zett, something he had a habit of doing from time to time, especially during when Arya thought he was experiencing doubt or worry. Smiling, she squeezed his hand reassuringly before they began to walk through the forest.

* * *

As they walked, Zett kept his distance from Arya, making sure their hands were the only thing touching. He was silent like always, but glanced her way every now and then, even squeezing her hand softly to reassure himself that she was still there. Arya didn't know why he was still in his Shadow form, but forced herself to not worry about it so much. Zett was Zett, and that was all that mattered. But as they drew closer and closer to a wide clearing, she felt his grasp slowly leave hers, both of them now face to face as he stared down on her.

"Zett?" she questioned nervously.

Returning to his human form he smirked, leaning down to whisper in her ear _"Catch."_

"Catch? Catch what? Zett? Zett!" feeling his weight come barreling down on her, Arya clumsily tried to steady him but somehow ended up falling along with him, her body seemingly acting as cushion.

Pushing him off immediately after they reached the ground, she demanded angrily, her face bright red "Zett! What do you think you were doing?!"

Laughing as he rolled onto his back, he replied teasingly, "I said catch didn't I?"

"But you didn't say _what_ I was suppose to catch." she huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Though smiling just moments ago, Zett's face soon twisted into a pained grimace as he clutched the side of his face. A flash of his monster form returning before settling back into his human features.

"Zett, are you okay?" Arya asked quickly, placing a hand comfortingly on top of his.

Though he seemed to have returned to normal, a faint red hue still lingered in his eyes.

"I'm fine." he mumbled wearily, letting his hand fall back to the ground as he rolled onto his side to meet her gaze.

"You are definitely not fine." she insisted "What just happened?"

"It's normal, it happens whenever I'm tired or exhausted." he replied sadly, offering a weak smile "Which happens a lot more than I care to admit."

"What makes you so exhausted?" she said softly, laying down beside him as she rested her hand on his cheek.

"Light, darkness, keeping this form." he listed off "That's about it."

"So this isn't your real form?" Arya asked.

Sighing, he moved her hand away, rolling back onto his back as he stared intently at the features of his hand, curling and uncurling his fingers into a fist. "No, it's not."

"So why do you keep it?" she asked, watching his every move.

Turning back over, he let their eyes meet before answering, "Because it helps me stay in the light a little bit longer."

"Oh..." she responded, averting her eyes from his intense gaze.

"Besides," he continued, gently plucking a loose blossom from her hair as he twirling it between his fingers "I've actually grown quite fond of this look."

"Is that so?" she replied, a smile playing on her lips "Well I have too, I must say."

"More than my Shadow form?" he teased.

"Well, that one will have to have a lot of time of getting used to." Arya admitted "But any form is fine as long as I know it's you."

Just about to respond, a ringing came out of nowhere.

Biting her lower lip, Arya shot Zett an apologetic look before sitting back up to answer her phone.

"Hello?" she answered, glancing back at him.

"Yes, I'm fine Conductor. Yes, Zett is with me. We've already handled the Shadow. We're by some cherry blossom trees right now, stop worrying! Look, I promise we'll be back soon, okay? Bye."

Tossing her phone aside, she then settled back down beside Zett, his smile from before gone.

"Arya," he began "Are you happy?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Just now, you seemed unhappy."

"No, it's not like that." she explained "It's just that it bothers me that Conductor is always worrying about me, that's all."

For a moment both of them were silent, Zett's eyes staring deep into hers, as if deciding if she was telling the truth.

"Are you happy?" she then asked.

"I don't know." he replied "I don't know what happiness is."

"I guess it is kind of hard to explain." Arya admitted, flopping onto her back in deep thought "I guess it's more like a warm feeling in your heart, something that makes you smile without knowing it. It makes you feel, I don't know, good inside. If that makes any sense."

"So, like right now?"

"I don't know." she replied, smiling "You tell me."

Smiling just the slightest in return, he shifted closer, their faces just centimeters apart. "I think that as long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Feeling warmth flood her cheeks, she pressed her forehead against Zett's, smiling broader than ever as she whispered back "Me too, Zett. Me too."


	30. Holiday Spirit

**Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've been busy with schoolwork and have had an annoying case of writer's block these past few weeks! I'm hoping to update a lot more now so please be patient!**

**Like always, please enjoy and review!**

* * *

As the days passed, the bitter winds of winter slowly crept into the atmosphere. The warm and welcoming rays of sunlight blotted out by thick, grey clouds, and the once bright autumn leaves now blanketed the frosted ground in dull, brown shades. Rattling violently from time to time, the Rainbow Line continued to persevere against the droning gusts outside as it swept hurriedly down the tracks. With the weather like this, no one was willing to leave the trains, leaving them no other option but to continue moving ahead from station to station.

Sighing, Right stared out the window, head propped in one hand as the other was used to wipe away the fog from the glass for the fifth time. "When will this weather end?" he groaned "It's the same everywhere we go!"

"Well, it is becoming winter, Right." Tokatti noted "We'll have to expect weather like this from now on..."

"But at least have it snow though!" he cried, burying his head in his arms.

"Cheer up, Right!" Kagura insisted, patting him on the back "With winter here, we can start to look forward to the holiday season and celebrating Christmas!"

"Really?" he asked, instantly perking up into child-like glee "Christmas is almost here? How could I have forgotten?"

"Probably because we've been too busy fighting Shadows." Hikari teased.

"Come on Kagura, let's go get Wagon so she can help bring out the decorations!" Right announced, dragging her quickly out the door.

* * *

With a deep sigh of relief, Right and Kagura dropped the last armful of boxes onto the floor, leaning against their makeshift cardboard tower to finally catch their breath.

"You know you could've just asked any of us for help, right?" spoke Mio, handing them both a tall glass of water.

"Nah, we could handle it." panted Right, guzzling his water down in one gulp.

"Yeah," Kagura replied "We could handle it. Right even made it into a game to see who could carry the most!"

"And that was a horrible idea." Hikari interjected as he inspected the contents within the boxes.

"Hey! What do you mean-"

"Did you even bother to look inside?" he asked incredulously, holding up a handful of transparent ornaments that clinked together "What do think would have happened if one of you tripped?"

"But we didn't!"

"Right, you should try to learn to be more careful."

"I am careful!"

Scoffing, he muttered "Yeah, right."

"What did you say?" Right demanded, standing up abruptly to tower over him.

"Come on guys, that's enough!" ordered Mio, positioning herself between the two "Let's just stop fighting and start decorating, okay?"

Taking one last moment to glare back at each other, they then mumbled their agreement.

"Good, now grab a box and let's get started."

* * *

Frowning, Arya stared at the pictures that hung from her wall. A mural containing the hundreds of white paper gouged by the dark lead of her pencil that have since accumulated in large masses since her arrival. Each fragment telling their own story but having no connection to any of the others. Each one so different and unique. So why? Why are they all just as vivid as any memory?

"You can't all be real." she breathed, brows furrowed in concentration as her fingers ran through each swirl, slash, and indentation "There must be some way to know."

Letting her arm fall limp to her side, she allowed her eyes to sweep each image once again as they searched desperately for any sort of clue. Something, anything that might trigger a memory. But to no avail. Pounding her fist against the wall, Arya bit down on her lower lip to stop the slew of curses that clawed their way up her throat. Grimacing as she tasted the metallic tang of blood on her lips. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she swiftly turned away from the wall to avoid their silent taunts.

"There has to be a way." she muttered, running a hand through her messy brown hair as she began to pace around her room "There has to be a way I can remember. There has to be."

But as time passed, all ideas proved to be fruitless once again. Groaning in utter defeat and frustration, Arya flopped onto her bed where she decided to just stare at the ceiling for the rest of the day, hoping the sway of the train carts will eventually lull her back to sleep.

_Are you happy, Arya?_

Closing her eyes, she replayed the memory of her and Zett over again. Remembering the delicate blossoms that hung from the branches, the cool breeze brushing up against her cheek, the bright sun shining down on them that day, her hand wrapped tightly around his.

_No, I'm not. _She answered truthfully, her smile fading as her mind returned back to the present.

Shifting onto her side, Arya stared out across the room, her body sinking into the warmth of the comforter. Letting her eyes trace the miscellaneous objects left laying around, it wasn't until she made eye contact with her reflection that a spark of irritation emerged.

_"Conductor..." _she growled under her breath, annoyed that he had once again snuck in an object from the room from when she was a child. Anger suddenly flaring inside, she stormed over to its tall figure and grabbed a hold of its wooden frame. Nails digging into it's lavender paint and knuckles turning ghostly white, Arya ignored the pain of the splinters digging into her skin as her arm tensed, ready to smash the mirror's glass onto the floor. Yet despite the urge to hear its satisfying shatter and to see its shards skitter across the floor, she couldn't do it.

Breathing heavily, she glared at the reflection, the person looking back at her with cold, angry eyes whose face was contorted into a twisted scowl.

_"I hate you." _she hissed quietly. But as the words left her mouth, Arya could quickly begin to feel the energy drain from her body.

Arm still clinging to the mirror, she fell to her knees as a spluttering cough racked her body, her voice going hoarse as her throat felt like it had just swallowed knives. Anger evaporating into fear and panic, Arya desperately reached for the comfort of the Heaven's Stone, only to find herself scrabbling at nothing but air. Slumping against the cool surface of the mirror, she went limp as she could do nothing but endure the pain. Her vision was nothing but a series of blurs and her heart seemed to resonate like a thousand drums in her ears. For a moment, Arya actually believed she was dying, a nightmare conjured into reality. It wasn't until she could feel most of the pain ebb away did she glance weakly at the clock. To her dismay not hours, not minutes, but _seconds _had the pain lasted, but to her, it felt like centuries.

Curling close to the mirror for support, she closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe, to force herself to believe that she was alive.

"How long will I be able to last like this?" she mumbled feebly. Propping herself up against the wall, she carefully began to stand up in painstakingly slow motion, her knees quivering just from supporting her. Her eyes still fastened to the mirror, she sighed, knowing exactly where she would find her answer.

Mustering enough strength, she then quickly stumbled toward the door, slipping out the room in silence.

* * *

"Iyaa~" exclaimed Wagon excitedly "Everyone has done such a wonderful job of decorating!"

"Really?" Mio asked, glancing wearily at the chaotic mess they've made "It isn't nearly as organized as I planned..."

"No no this is good! This is amazing!" she cheered "I haven't seen this room alive with lights and color in ages!"

"Are you sure? I know we can fix it-"

"Oh relax, Mio! Not everything has to be neat and perfect!" teased Right as he slung his arm around her shoulder "It's Christmas we're celebrating! It's the perfect time to be imaginative!"

"There's a difference from being imaginative and being disorderly, Right." she retorted, brushing his arm off.

"I don't think it's _that _disorderly." Kagura replied, tossing another handful of glitter onto her tree "I actually like how we can choose to decorate our tree however we want."

"Well yeah, but look at the mess it leaves!"

"That's a problem we'll deal with later." said Right, waving it off "What we _should _be focused on is determining who will win in having the most imaginative tree! Who's in?"

"Me! Me!" Kagura cried out enthusiastically.

"Sure, I'll join!" called out Tokatti, still struggling to free himself from the branches of his tree.

Sighing, Mio stood back as she watched them scurry from box to box in search of new items to add on to their trees, their voices rising louder and louder in excited chatter and laughter.

"It looks like we'll be the only ones with normal trees, huh?" Hikari spoke, arms full of fresh popcorn strung onto string as he stood beside her.

"Forget that! I want to win!" she exclaimed.

Smiling mischievously, Mio made a grab for the strung popcorn in his hands and raced back to her tree, grabbing a box of assorted lights and ornaments along the way.

"Or I guess I'll be the only one..."


	31. Into the Reflection Realm

**Okay, it's been awhile since I've updated haven't I? Thank you for being patient, I've been working constantly on these 7 or so chapters everyday so I hope you enjoy! To be honest, I was very tempted to just leave the chapter as one big wall of text consisting of 11,213 words, but I guess I changed my mind XD **

**Please, feel free to review like always!**

* * *

With a sudden jerk, the high squeal of the wheels echoed out loudly as the trains came to a rugged halt, the train carts swaying from side to side as they threatened to fall off the tracks. Holding in their breaths, everyone inside clung to whatever was stable as they waited nervously until the carts finally settled, much to their relief.

_We apologize for this sudden interruption, but we will be stopping here for the next hour or so. Please do not worry, this is not an emergency._

"Then why did we have to stop like that?" grumbled Right as he picked himself up off the ground "You could've at least given us a warning, Conductor."

"Is everyone alright?" called Mio, her head appearing up from behind a booth.

"I think so."

"Yeah."

"Sort of."

"Iyaa~ everything is not alright!" exclaimed Wagon as she assessed the damage "All of your Christmas trees, destroyed!" At this, she posed dramatically in what would seem to be her fainting.

"Don't worry about it, Wagon." Right comforted "It's not so bad. See?" To demonstrate, he quickly propped his tree back up, gathering what few ornaments survived the fall into an empty box "After we clean up, we can start over, it's really no big deal."

"Hey guys, look!" Kagura announced, motioning for everyone to join her by the window "We're still surrounded by trees, it looks like we haven't even stopped at a station."

"Woah, you're right." Tokatti murmured, adjusting his glasses as he peered out at the cloudy, grey sky "I wonder where we are."

* * *

"Your majesty, with all due respect, could you please try to be more careful with the controls?" asked Conductor wearily, still clinging to the door even after the trains had long since stopped.

"I _was _careful_._" Arya huffed, releasing her grip on the train's levers to brush past him.

"Wait, your majesty!" he called, tugging her arm back "Where are you going?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course! It is my job to oversee your wellbeing."

"Conductor, I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need you constantly worrying about me. I promise I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

However, his hand still remained firmly clamped around her wrist as she attempted to leave once more. "Take Akira with you."

"I don't need an escort, Conductor." she replied curtly, her patience quickly wearing thin.

"You know I can't have you go alone."

"I'll take Zett with me then."

"No."

"What? Why?" she questioned, her voice carrying a hint of whine.

"If anything happens, I know I can rely on Akira to protect you."

"I can protect myself just fine, Conductor." she answered tiredly, already been through this conversation with him a thousand times "Besides, I'm going to the Reflection Realm, no one can enter without my consent."

"What?" he gasped in disbelief "You're going back there? You said you hated it there, it's been years since you've last gone!"

"I know." Arya muttered grimly, flashbacks worming their way back into her mind "But there's something important I need to do."

"But why-"

"Conductor." she silenced "I promise I'll be fine, trust me okay? I need to do this."

Squeezing his hand reassuringly before turning to leave, Conductor watched helplessly as she dashed quickly out the door, only glancing back briefly before she exited the train.

"Do you think we should've allowed her to leave?" asked Ticket after awhile.

"I don't know, Ticket." he sighed "I don't know."

* * *

Stepping out into the long blades of grass, Arya immediately felt the strong gusts of wind buffet all around her, her long dark hair whipping wildly as she struggled to tuck them back underneath the hood of her cloak. Shivering, she drew its fabric closer to her, its soft wool lining just warming her slightly as she peered up into the dark, grey sky.

_Please don't rain._

As if in reply, another gale rippled through the field as the cold air numbed every exposed skin of her body. A sign that most likely promised snow instead. Sighing, she crossed her arms underneath the warm layer of her cloak, determined on making it to the Reflection Realm despite whatever weather got in her way. However, no sooner had she begun to take her first few steps did she hear a familiar voice call out from behind.

"Where are you going, Arya?"

"Z-Zett!" she stammered as she whirled back to face the approaching emperor, the drooping hood of her cloak obscuring the blush that rose to her cheeks.

"Can I come with you?" he asked, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I-I guess... but it's nothing really exciting though. You'd probably wish you stayed here instead of coming along with me once we get there..."

At this he laughed, a deep lilting laugh that made her heart feel like butterflies were fluttering inside.

"As long as I'm with you, everything is exciting, Arya."

* * *

The brittle leaves crunching underneath their feet, Arya and Zett parted the last of the forest's branches to enter a wide, open field. Expanding to almost the size of the Hyper Ressha Terminal, the area around them was nothing more but a leveled plain in which a massive stone circle stood tall within its center. However, they had not entered the Reflection Realm quite yet. Heavily guarded by the ancient spells and incantations of former nobilities, the Reflection Realm was to be secluded from the outside world, hidden away from human sight. Without the authority of the empress present, no outsider could be able to even see the area, more so even pass through the barrier that protected it.

"Arya... where are we?" Zett panted, beads of sweat accumulating on his forehead as he leaned against her for support.

"We are in the Outer Gates of the Reflection Realm."

"Outer... Gates?"

"It's the reason you're feeling weak right now despite the Heaven's Stone. The gates' purpose are to ward off any potential threats, in this case you, the Emperor of Darkness."

"Does this mean-"

"As long as I'm here alongside the Heaven's Stone, the Outer Gates will accept you. However, a high level of light remains that will still react against your darkness." Arya replied, her gaze softening as she stared up at him with worry "Zett, if this becomes too much to handle, I want you to-"

"I'll be fine." he responded gruffly, a sense of determination surrounding him as he walked further ahead.

* * *

Standing side by side, Arya and Zett stood before the towering pillars of black stone. Their long, sleek surfaces reflecting the world in front of them as their jagged tops reached out toward the sky. Craning his neck, Zett stared out with fascination, his hand outstretched to feel the cool obsidian as his eyes drank in everything before him. The light creating an air of electricity as it crackled against the darkness.

Focused on the stone slab in front of her, Arya too placed her hand on its chilling surface, a wave of iridescent light rippling from where she touched. Stepping back, she waited patiently as the ground around them quivered, the bodies of stone gradually revealing a doorway within the middle intricately woven by light, a golden latch resting on the right.

Hesitantly she approached it, small and cautious strides toward the glowing door. As if welcoming her, faint tendrils of light extended out to her as they entwined themselves around her arms and legs. As expected, nothing had changed since her last visit, yet despite all this, her eyes remained guarded, fearful, and uncertain underneath her hood.

_"Hey, Arya!"_

Turning abruptly to the direction of the voice, her eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror as Right and the others appeared before them.

"W-what are you doing here?" she spluttered "How'd you even get here?"

"Forgive me your majesty." answered Akira, limping toward her with Tokatti and Kagura at his sides "Conductor ordered me to follow, but the others soon found out. I-" Exhausted, he collapsed before her.

"Akira!"

"Are you all right?"

"What's wrong?"

"Everyone stay back!" Arya commanded, kneeling down beside him "It's just the over exposure of light here, he'll be fine once you take him back to the Rainbow Line."

"But your majesty-"

"_All _of you should go and leave this place immediately." A hint of warning in her tone.

"Er...that might be impossible at the moment, y-your majesty." murmured Tokatti "Conductor mentioned that once we enter, the walls will close us in until we leave with you. I mean, if you want to come back with us-" he paused, noticing that the empress had stopped listening. Her face upturned toward the sky, Arya searched for the pale shine of the sun amidst the wisps of clouds, her mind calculating the hours until the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

_There's not much time left._

"Then I guess you'll all have to stay." she replied, her piercing brown eyes focusing back on to them.

"But what about Akira!" exclaimed Mio.

"He'll come with us."

"What do you mean he'll come with us?"

At that she stood up, the cape of her cloak fluttering against the wind as her delicate fingers traced the smooth curve of the handle. She could feel it. That pulse. The worlds that lay ahead. Dreams and nightmares within the mind. The only solution left.

In one quick swoop, she flung the door open. The soft click of the handle followed by the radiating and blinding sensation of light that poured outwards, consuming, engulfing them all as it flooded around them. Consciousness was fading quickly as they felt the sudden jolt of reality being ripped away from their senses, their minds dragging them to a different world even more real than any dream or nightmare. There was no going back now. They were all encaptured within the light of their own reality. Their consciousness torn apart only to be put back together with different pieces, their life slipping between their fingertips only to finally wake up somewhere new.

_Welcome to the Reflection Realm._


	32. Right's World

Right panicked. For the first time, he was truly scared. Who wouldn't be? As far as he could tell, everything around him was pure darkness. Cold, gripping darkness that suffocated his lungs and sucked up all his strength as he lay upon the ground absolutely numb. He wished he didn't panicked. He wished he could just get up and move somewhere else. He wished he knew where he was.

_I wonder where everyone else is._

He closed his eyes, struggling to calm his still rapidly beating heart as he forced his mind to wander, to daydream, to imagine. He smiled, imagining Mio scolding him for getting himself stuck in this situation, Hikari being smart and trying to figure out what exactly was going on, Kagura being curious but very worried for everyone else, Tokatti frantically searching for his glasses, and Akira probably thinking that wherever he was, that was his place to die.

All this helped him begin to relax, the memory of his friends flooding a new source of strength into his veins as he gradually regained mobility and the ability to breathe normally once again. He opened his eyes, gazing out at the dark abyss above, specks of shining white dots slowly emerging and scattering across the sky to form stars and constellations. Propping himself up, he was surprised to feel that the hard ground had somehow morphed into a soft field of grass also, chunks of loose dirt wedging themselves between his fingernails as he dug his hand deeper into the soil. Not only that, but he also seemed to be sitting on top of some sort of ledge overlooking a city.

Peering down below, he watched as the steady traffic of cars drove on by, different hues of red, blue, green, yellow, and orange intermixing into some sort of rainbow-like blob among the many shops where people and families scurried happily about. The sound of excited chatter drifting through the air along with the sweet smell of freshly baked pastries.

His stomach growled.

Embarrassed, Right could feel his face go red as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, deeply regretting not eating lunch beforehand. Just about ready to daydream all the different kinds of food he would eat in that moment, he was soon interrupted by the faint sound of someone singing.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star~"

Startled by the sudden clarity of the voice, Right jumped at the sudden appearance of a boy sitting right beside him.

"W-who are you?"

The boy paused, turning his head to face him and welcome him with a wide, open grin and shining brown eyes. Recognizing the face immediately, Right smiled in returned as he allowed his body to relax once more.

"So it's you, huh?"

"Yep, it's me." the boy replied enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I vowed that I would continue fighting the Shadow Line even if it meant giving up my childhood."

"Oh that? This is different!"

"Different? Different how?"

"Well, even if your mind has given up being a child, you're still a child right in here." Pointing to the top, left corner of his chest.

"I guess..." Right murmured, still slightly confused "So... where exactly are we?"

"We're inside your mind!"

"What?"

"Don't you know?" the boy asked curiously, tilting his head to one side "You're in the Reflection Realm! This is where your heart and mind are one and you get to basically talk to the true version of yourself!"

"True version of myself?"

"Well sort of, it's kind of complicated..."

"Wait... so this place..." peering over the ledge once more "This... this is our hometown?"

"Yeah! It's the place your heart and mind are connected to the most!"

"So then the others are here, right?" Right asked eagerly.

His smile fading slightly, the boy shook his head "That's not how the Reflection Realm works, this is for the individual's mind only."

"Then how do I get out?"

"What?" he exclaimed "You want to leave already?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know..." the boy mumbled, tracing his finger through the dirt "I thought I'd be able to talk with you more... Don't you want to regain more of your memories?"

Smiling, Right placed his hand on top of the boy's head comfortingly "Don't worry, I know I'll someday remember everything from our hometown. But for right now, that adventure can wait."

Content with his answer, the boy grinned once again and settled down beside Right, both of them quietly overlooking the bright city together underneath the blanket of stars.


	33. Tokatti's World

"So what I'm hearing is... you're _me, _the _true _me, and we're in some place called the 'Reflection Realm' where it's possible for you to exist so I can communicate with you?"

The boy paused, glancing up from his drawings as he adjusted his glasses to answer plainly, "Yep, sounds about right."

"But-but how?" Tokatti murmured incredulously, leaning back uncomfortably in the small chair he was in.

Nothing was making sense. Everything was just as confusing the first time the boy tried to explain it and just trying to think it over again was starting to give Tokatti a headache. He just didn't understand, rather, _couldn't _understand why or how he ended up in this classroom wedged into a small desk or why or how he was talking to a younger looking version of himself. Even the endless amount of pinching he did on himself was enough to convince him that this wasn't an ordinary dream. So could all this really be real?

"So... if this is how I look... then are the others the same, too? Are they talking to their younger versions also?"

Not bothering to glance up this time, the boy replied, "Probably."

_Well, that settles that._

With nothing else left to say, the room quickly grew quiet, the occasional awkward cough or the snapping sound of the lead breaking off the pencil filling in the silence every now and then.

_Say something already. _ His mind coaxed as he reread the same multiplication chart on the wall for the tenth time.

What else was there to say though? If what the boy said was true, then shouldn't he already know everything Tokatti knew? What's the point?

_Maybe he knows what happened to our hometown. Should I ask? I don't remember, so would he remember? Would it be weird if I asked? _

"Here." the boy then said, cutting Tokatti off from his train of thought as he held out a folded piece of paper.

"W-What is it?"

The boy remained quiet, gesturing for him to take it and find out.

Cautiously, he accepted the sheet of paper, eyeing the boy wearily before unfolding it. Little did he know what a horrible mistake that was.

Immediately his throat went dry, his heart seizing to beat while his trembling hands crinkled the sheet's edges in an attempt to hold it still. It was hard to put into words his exact feelings at the time, but the internal screaming that took place inside his head was more than enough to explain.

Drawn on the sheet were two friends holding hands, to be specific, one was a boy and one was a girl. To be even more precise, the boy wore a navy blue jacket with a striped tie and black rimmed glasses, while the girl was drawn with short, light brown hair and a yellow jacket. What was even worse was the giant, red heart that floated between the two.

"I-is th-this..."

"You like Mio, right?"

"W-well yeah I like her, we're good friends and all..."

"No! Not that way!" the boy cried out in exasperation "Do you like _like _her?"

"W-what?! Where did you get that idea from?!" Tokatti exclaimed, hiding behind the sheet of paper as his cheeks flushed bright red.

"Well, you're always thinking about her... and you always imagine yourself asking her out and stuff..."

"T-that d-doesn't mean I like like her!"

"Really?" the boy asked, tilting his head skeptically "If you say so..."

"Okay fine, yes, I do like _like _her." Tokatti admitted, slouching in defeat.

"I knew it!" he cheered, a broad grin spreading across his face.

"Why are you so happy?" Tokatti muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat "It's not like I'll ever work up the nerve to tell her."

The boy pouted, crossing his arms over his chest "You're a pessimist aren't you?"

"What?"

"I mean, what could possibly be the worst thing that could happen?"

"She could laugh in my face, she could-"

"Does that sound like something Mio would do?" he demanded.

"Well, no..."

"See? Mio's nice! She would never do anything to hurt your feelings. It's not like she'll stop being friends with you either way."

"I guess you're right..."

"Tokatti." his younger version spoke seriously "Promise me you won't hide your feelings anymore. Promise me that you'll tell Mio that you like her."

"What?" he asked in surprise "I can't do that! I'll-"

The boy stopped him, his small hand reaching over to clamp down on his lips the way Right used to do it when they were younger.

"Tokatti, I believe in you."


	34. Mio's World

Well, it's official, this was going to be the _last_ time Mio ever agreed to go along with one of Right's schemes again. Seriously, she's been in enough crazy situations, but falling onto pavement out of nowhere? She had to draw the line eventually. After awhile of debating whether or not she should scold him or worry about the others, Mio then realized that she was all alone, well, almost_._

"Uhm...are you okay?"

Still rubbing her knee, Mio peered up to see a girl, rather, a younger looking version of herself standing before her.

"Does your leg hurt? Is it broken?"

"No no it's fine." she managed to stutter out eventually, standing up to demonstrate. Surprisingly, her leg really didn't hurt much at all.

"Are you sure?" the girl inquired, stooping down to examine the faint red scratches on her legs.

"I'm fine, honestly." Mio replied sheepishly, shifting away from her warm touch.

The girl furrowed her brows in concentration, her light, brown eyes still inspecting the wounds carefully as she stood back up.

"Let's get you cleaned up at least." she then concluded, taking Mio's hand in hers as she led her into the police station up ahead. Oddly enough, Mio wasn't even weirded out in the slightest at these sudden turn of events.

**OOO**

"There, all done." the girl finally announced, tying the last knot on the gauze around Mio's knees "How does it feel?"

"It feels fine..." Mio responded, stretching out both her legs carefully to test for pain "But don't you think the gauze is a bit much? It wasn't like I was bleeding out or anything."

"It's better to be safe than sorry!" she retorted.

Mio chuckled at that, remembering all the times she told everyone those exact same words whenever they were doing something dangerous as kids.

"You don't have to worry about everything all the time you know."

"What are you talking about? You do it all the time!"

"What? No I don't!"

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, folding her arms across her chest "Then what was your first thought when you got here?"

"I-"

_That's right, I was too busy worrying about the others than myself..._

"See? Told ya."

"B-but it's not a bad thing to worry about the others!" Mio countered "If you haven't already figured it out, we've been fighting Shadow Line monsters this whole time!"

"I know that." her younger self said in exasperation "But don't you think the others want to worry about you too? You can't just force yourself to be strong and have the others assume you're alright. You should lean on their shoulders once in awhile."

_ I guess she's right..._

"Since when did you get all wise?" Mio teased.

"When weren't we?"


	35. Hikari's World

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

Hikari's eyes flickered open, squinting against the bright rays of sunlight that leaked through the dense foliage of the treetops above. The rustle of the dry and brittle leaves underneath him echoing out all around the forest as he struggled to sit up.

_Where am I?_

He craned his neck upwards, staring at the gnarled branches that seemed to extend toward the sky forever, reminiscent of the tree that Right claimed as their clubhouse back at their hometown.

_Where is everyone? _He then thought worriedly, the leaves swishing loudly as he abruptly stood up.

"Right?" he called out.

No response.

"Tokatti?" he shouted as he began to venture further into the forest "Mio? Kagura?"

Still no response.

_Where could they be?_

He had to think. He had to remember what happened just before he ended up here. Where had he been? What was he doing? What were the others doing? The gears slowly turned inside his brain, a feeling of adrenaline and excitement pulsing as he imagined himself once again as the Kendama Detective solving another mysterious case, piecing together another puzzle.

_That's right!_

The Rainbow Line. Akira. The forest. The stone circle. Arya. The white door. The blinding flash of light. It all made sense!

"I'm in an alternate dimension!"

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

"Who's there?" Hikari demanded, whirling around to the direction of the sound, ToQ-Changer prepared for any potential threat.

The noise halted immediately, plunging him back into silence.

"Hello?" he called out cautiously, eyes darting back and forth as he began to back up quietly "Is anyone th-"

The ground gave out beneath him, autumn leaves fluttering upwards as he watched in horror himself sinking further and further away from the trees. His eyes widened in fear as he reached out desperately to grab a hold of something, anything, besides the air and loose soil within his grasp. He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell for help. But his mind and voice seemed to betray him as he could do nothing but imagine the horrible fate that awaited for him at the bottom.

_Please, no._

This couldn't be happening. There had to be some way to make it back to safety. This had to be a dream.

_I can't die like this! The others need me!_

He thrashed his arms widely in the air as if a miracle would appear in which he could grab onto a vine or the hand of someone. He desperately wanted to believe that any of this could be possible.

_How pathetic. Taken down by a stupid ledge that you could've easily avoided. And you call yourself a ToQger._

There. That word. Something clicked inside his mind that gave him hope. Hope in maybe surviving this fall just barely.

With trembling hands clutching the green ressha, he spoke what could possibly be his last words, "TOQ-CHANGE!"

**OOO**

He coughed, icy cold water dripping out of the corner of his mouth as he rolled onto his side, the smooth stones underneath scraping against his ribs as he dragged himself out of the river's strong current. His clothes were soaked, weighing him down like anchors. His hands and face stung from cuts and still continued to bleed. Even if he survived the fall he would surely die from hypothermia if he didn't get to some place warm fast.

_At least I'm alive now. At least I have strength to keep moving... _

His head throbbed and swirled with fragments of random memories, their sounds dull and their images blurry, hardly even recognizable.

_I need to get back to the others..._

He forced his body to keep moving, despite the pain that accompanied it.

_I need to..._

His world went dark.

**OOO**

Hikari woke to the sound of crackling fire. The warmth of flames enveloping him as it continued to dry his still damp clothing. The colors red, orange, and yellow dancing before his eyes as they consumed the scrawny twigs within them.

_I must be dead. _He thought, staring at his hand, free from all its previous wounds.

He felt numb. Weak and tired, but not in pain.

_I have to be dead. Who could've saved me?_

Just then he heard it. He heard the soft clicking return, now louder and clearer.

Hikari glanced up, his vision slowly clearing to reveal a boy sitting beside him, perched on a small boulder, kendama in hand.

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

"Are you... me?" he asked in surprise, straining to sit up "Was it you in the forest that I heard?"

The clicking stopped abruptly, the ball hanging by the thread as it swung dangerously close by the flames.

The boy turned and faced him, eyes filled with worry as he nodded.

"Something wrong?"

"Are you... alright?"

"I don't understand."

"When you were sleeping, you kept saying that you were weak and didn't deserve to be a ToQger."

"I-I did?" stuttered Hikari sheepishly.

"You don't mean that, right?"

"Of course not!"

"Good. Then take these." the boy commanded, ToQ-Changer and green ressha in hand "The others need you. They can't bring back our hometown without you."


	36. Kagura's World

"Please be okay." Kagura whispered, forehead pressed against the cool glass _"Please."_

It was strange, how she ended up here. A world of nothing but blinding fluorescent lights and permanent smell of disinfectant, rooms humming with all sorts of complicated and beeping monitors. A place of both life and death. It was strange, yet oddly comforting and nostalgic at the same time.

As of lately, Kagura began to wonder if she would ever come back to this place again. This place where her family joined together in happiness to welcome her baby brother.

Yet somehow, despite all odds, here she was, watching over him once again. Here he was, safe and protected from the darkness of the world outside.

**OOO**

He was so small, she realized. So tiny and vulnerable despite the light blue blanket that wrapped around him protectively. So much more fragile than the other bigger and healthier looking newborns. So much more innocent. But she loved him nonetheless.

From the first day she lay eyes on him, Kagura knew she would do anything to protect his happiness. She loved everything about him. She loved his adorable smile, his sweet squeaky laughter, his big brown eyes that greeted her with kindness everyday. He was everything a big sister could hope for and so much more.

Even before he was born she loved him. After school, she would always run back home and ask her mother if she could feel her stomach, excited every time to feel the small kick. She could remember helping her father paint the spare room a beautiful sky blue with little animal decorations on the sides. She could remember making a list of all the things they would together. A list of promises and vows she made as a big sister. She misses those times. Those times when only thoughts of building snowmen in the winter, playing in the ocean at the beach, eating ice cream in the summer were the things that were important. Those times where she could count on her parents to protect her, instead of the other way around.

Now it felt like the fate of the world rested on her shoulders.

Before she knew it, tears came running down her cheeks. Hot, wet droplets splattering on top of her balled-up fists as her entire body shook with each sob that escaped.

"What if I'm not good enough?" she whispered, eyes clenched shut to stop the flow of tears "What if I'm not strong enough? What if I can't save you?"

"I know I'm not as imaginative as Right. I know I'm not as smart as Tokatti. I know I'm not as good a fighter like Hikari. I know I'm not as caring as Mio. So what am I good at?!" she cried out angrily, slamming her fists against the glass.

The pain hurt. The pain of being helpless. The pain of being hopeless. But here in this world, she could do nothing but accept it.

"You're good at a lot of things!" a voice interrupted.

Kagura turned, facing the smiling girl before her as she held out a box of tissues.

"Eh?"

"You always bring people happiness! You make people smile whenever they feel down! You're persistent and never give up!"

"R-really?" Kagura sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt.

"Absolutely! I believe in you! You can do anything if you set your mind to it!"

"H-how do you know?"

"Because I'm you, Kagura." her voice softening as she wrapped her small hands around hers "I know you can do it. Your imagination makes you strong in so many ways than you even know now. I know you can do it. Just keep believing."


	37. Akira's World

_Nijino Akira._

That was the name they gave him. The name the ToQgers created, just for him. The name that proved he was no longer part of the Shadow Line.

"Nijino Akira." he said out loud.

He closed his eyes and repeated it over and over again, letting it roll off his tongue, enunciating it slowly and drawing out each syllable.

"Nijino Akira."

_This is the name they gave me, but I can not accept it._

**OOO**

The Shadow Line had always been a dark and gruesome place, a battlefield where the strong preyed upon the weak. You could never trust anyone besides yourself. You could never be satisfied with what you had besides the eternal desire for more darkness. You had to accept the way things were. You could never have hope.

Everything was simple. If you were strong, you lived. If you were weak, you died. That was how the cycle went. You were nothing but an enemy or prey to someone else. You meant nothing. Everyone accepted this way of life.

Maybe that's why he feels guilty. Guilty for obtaining light when others that probably deserved it more were left to die. Maybe it's because if it weren't for Schwarz, he would've been dead sooner, never had the opportunity to see the light, to feel hope.

_Schwarz._

Akira could remember their first encounter together as if it was yesterday. How despite his rank, Schwarz intervened at the last second and saved him from dying by the hands of another Shadow. How he got himself hurt and injured just to save him.

Even now he still doesn't understand why he saved him. He was nothing, just another weak Shadow that would disappear from existence eventually.

_"What is your name?" _he remembered him asking.

_"Zaram."_

That was his name, yet it felt foreign to him, sounded so different from the last time he said it. Had he ever spoken it out loud before?

_"Would you like to be my partner in world domination?"_

Why would he ask that? Doesn't he know? You can't trust anyone out here.

_"Yes."_

So why? Why did he accept? Did he think he'd be different from all the others? Did he think he could actually change the world?

In truth, maybe he did. Maybe he truly believed things would be different, that they could change the world they lived in. Maybe he could make things different for everyone else. Maybe make things not so... _dark._

But little did he know that would all change, that he would become the one thing he hated, despised. That he would be the same scum that inflicted pain upon others. That he would be the one to betray his only friend.

**OOO**

"Your name is Zaram."

Akira didn't turn toward the voice, he didn't need to. He could already sense the brooding Shadow figure that he once was standing behind him. Every bit of darkness left within him coiling around in the air.

"No, my name is Nijino Akira."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because my friends gave it to me. They trust me."

"But do you trust them?"

"Of course." he said without hesitation "I would give my life up for them."

"Do you mean that? Would you really give up your life for them?"

He tipped his hard hat so that it covered his eyes from the cold pin pricks of rain, obscuring the image of the rainbow in front of him, "Yes."

He meant every word. If he was to sacrifice his life for them, he'd give it away in an instant. He was nothing after all, a name could never change that.


	38. Arya's World

The pain didn't register right away. It never does. It always waited, lurked, and boiled inside, like a cat stalking its prey before its claws sank deep into its flesh.

But even then that doesn't stop her, stop her from curling around herself in anticipation to brace herself against the heartache and pain. Stop her from barricading herself for a moment within the walls and locked doors of her mind.

She hates this place. She hates what it does to her. She hates that there is no escape.

But its the only way. The only way to get answers.

She would do anything to remember, to remember just one small detail. To finally find a small bit of relief after days of nothing but nightmares. Was it worth it though? She thought so. Even if in the end, it meant losing another part of herself.

**OOO**

Arya's world was different. Nothing here was just a mere imagination or dream. Everything was real, factual, a memory of some sort that dwelled in the confines of her mind. Essentially, this was her. The landscape of her mind and every thought. Everything she tried so hard to bury and hide away from others.

That is why she wakes to find herself a midst ruins and ashes, the fear of death running her blood cold as she stands here in the place of her last memory, the day before she died.

**OOO**

Everything was just how she remembered it, or rather, as much as she could remember of it. While the details were still hazy, many features of this world were recognizable from her dreams. The ground still remained charcoal black from darkness and ashes, and the air was still choked with the smell of smoke and blood. The clouds blotched out the warm and bright rays of sunlight and left nothing but shifting shadows on the barren wasteland. Everything here was as horrifying as before.

But this is not why she came here. There was another place she had in mind.

Drawing her cloak closer to her, she walked forward, head held up as she focused her sight at what lay ahead.

**OOO**

She ignored everything, all the temptations and nightmares of her mind that lurked around her. She ignored the darkness that coiled and crawled at her feet, its black and icy cold talons reaching out to snatch her. She ignored the screams that echoed all around her. She ignored all the pleas of help behind. She ignored everything.

But everyone had their breaking point.

By the time she reached the marble staircase, she could feel tears had already welled up in her eyes, her breathing becoming noticeably more ragged. Her entire body shook, each step seemingly more far away then the last. If she hadn't reached the palace sooner, she could've sworn she would've broken down, this whole journey wasted because of her weakness.

Blinking back the tears, she peered up at the tall intricate archway, the white marble carved in such a fashion that it appeared vines created it. Beyond this point was a straight stairway up to golden doors, endless amount of pillars standing at its side. She stood back, staring at the symmetry of it all. Each color of the rainbow represented with a sculpture chiseled from jewels standing proudly in front of the palace. Everything here was perfect, beautiful, breath-taking. Every detail carved with steady precision. Arya wished she could've stayed longer and drank it all in then, engraining each and every detail into her memories. But again, she knew she had a mission to fulfill. This would all have to wait for some other day.

Climbing the steps, she gazed out all around her, never looking back at the world of darkness behind. While it was difficult to recall many things of this place, she knew in her heart that she was nonetheless fond of it. Vague memories of her childhood spent playing in the topiary gardens or looking out at the balcony danced in her head, bringing a smile to her face. Catching herself reflected off from the polished marble, she watched as her smile faltered, returning back to its normal scowl.

_I don't deserve any of this._

Cowering within the hood of her cloak, she quickened her pace, focusing her attention at the next step ahead of her.

**OOO**

Finally reaching the top, she then stood before the towering golden doors, their surfaces covered in ancient scripts and patterns. Mesmerized, Arya ran her hand against the engravings, wondering if she knew how to read these before. Her hand trailing across the surface, stopping at the steel lock wrapped around the handles.

"What?" she breathed in disbelief, lifting the lock up as she inspected it for a moment. It's weight was heavy in her palm, the lock itself plain and simple against the details of its surroundings. "Why is a lock here?"

Letting it drop from her hold, she listened to it clang against the doors.

"I can't believe this." she muttered.

Hands now balled into fists she banged against the doors, the chains around the lock rattling loudly. She continued this for minutes, anger seething out as she slammed her hands against the doors until her fists turned bright red. She winced, stepping back to glare at the still unopened doors.

"Let me in!" she shouted.

No reply.

Frustration overwhelmed her every thought, her mind imagining all the possible ways she could tear down the doors. But then she heard it. The soft click of something unlocking. She watched in surprise as the lock suddenly dropped to the ground, the chains alongside it in a clattering heap, the door opened partially.

Composing herself, Arya then approached the door cautiously, anger evaporating as it was then replaced with uncertainty.

"Hello?" she called out, pushing the heavy door open wider "Is somebody-" she gasped, eyes widening in a mix of shock and horror. Everywhere in front of her flames engulfed the flooring. The fires scorching the marble walls and ceiling in black. The air flooded with suffocating smoke that filled her lungs.

Gritting her teeth to stop another coughing fit, she squinted through the flames and smoke, panic ensuing as it triggered another endless wave of nightmares and memories. Trembling, she began to back away, her legs weak and numb, just ready to give out at any second.

_Arya._

This voice.

_Do not be afraid. Follow the light._

Tears blearing her vision, Arya could just barely see the glimmer of light up ahead, so far off in the sea of fire.

"I-I can't."

No reply, as if the voice inside her mind had given up on her, or rather, given her a choice.

Gulping, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes tight in concentration.

_I have to do this._

With nothing else to trust but her instincts now, she let her legs guide her into the roaring flames, the heat of the fire biting at her heels. She ran. She ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest as sweat rolled down her forehead. She blockaded her senses from everything around her, shutting herself away into darkness. Before she knew it, she reached the end, passed the dividing line that separated her from the flames into the section untouched from the chaos behind. She panted heavily, falling to her knees as she laughed hysterically with relief. She was alive, that was all that mattered.

**OOO**

Allowing her nerves to settle and relax once more, Arya then picked herself off the marble flooring, her legs still wobbly from the adrenaline. Gazing out all around her, her eyes lingered on the grand staircase before her, similar to the one outside, and the long intricate tapestries that hung above along with the crystal chandelier. She frowned, finding all this too..._elegant _for her tastes if she lived here.

"You followed the light."

Her frown then deepened, her gaze suddenly growing more hostile as she glared at the girl perched on top the staircase, the girl she once was.

**OOO**

Her oval face was framed with the curled tendrils of her hair that could never be held back in her neat braid, her cheeks naturally a rosy shade. Her dark brown eyes shone brilliantly and seemed to smile all on their own, only amplifying her already present smile on her pink lips. Standing, she could be considered to be of average height, her back always straight when dealing with formal business but slumped anywhere else. Dressed in the finest silk, she wore her signature color of white, the skirt of her dress covered in soft, white feathers that cascaded to the floor. From any other point of view, she could be considered almost angelic, if not for her fiery personality underneath. But she was the picture of perfection nonetheless.

Their eyes met, yet the girl showed no reaction to Arya's aggression besides a hint of pity, only agitating her more. However, both remained quiet as she began to descend the steps, their eyes forever locked onto each other.

**OOO**

By the time she was halfway down, Arya could feel her heart stop, her eyes widening at what she was seeing unfold before her. She felt stupid, absolutely dumb for not have noticing it sooner. No wonder why she woke up in the memory of her death. It all clicked in place. Yet it was too late to change anything.

She looked back up at her, mouth parted to say something, anything, but the girl's eyes only shown understanding, acceptance of what was to come.

Slowly everything changed. The picture of perfection shattering and spiraling out of reach of light.

With each step closer, her braid loosened, tangled wisps of her hair falling freely down her back. Her once youthful complexion seemed to have aged years as the color faded from her cheeks, leaving only a sickly pale hue. Wounds reopened and appeared, blood dripping from her hands and face staining the once beautiful white dress. Gradually, the dress too succumbed to its own destruction. The plumage of feathers detaching as they faded into hues of grey and black, leaving a trail of them behind like withered petals.

It was painful to watch. Seeing her nightmare unfold before her as the girl winced with each new cut forming, her steps no longer strong and powerful, but weak and unsteady.

What was worse was the torture of waiting, waiting for the last wound to open and blossom crimson blood over her heart. She waited, waited for the moment she would shatter completely, now longer able to stand but fall to the ground pathetically. But it never happened.

Despite everything, the girl stood proudly before her, her eyes shining with the same air of determination as before, her head tilted defiantly. She was strong. Unlike Arya.

**OOO**

"Greetings, Arya." she spoke, her voice soft and mellifluous as she bowed politely "Welcome back to the Reflection Realm."

She scoffed, her eyes as cold as ice, "You should know more than anyone else how much I hate this place."

"Of course I do." she replied, unfazed by her hostility "You would have come back otherwise."

"Then you must know why I came here then, right?"

"Of course. But knowing you, I must then answer your next question with no."

"What?" she growled, eyes narrowing into slits.

"I cannot retrieve your memories."

"What do you mean you can't?" she demanded "Of course you can, you're _me!_"

"Yes, and being you, you wish not to remember your past. You've left your memories, locked them away, buried them, _burned_ them so to speak. It was all your doing."

"You're wrong!" she yelled "If I had wanted to forget, then why do these nightmares keep occurring? Why would I force myself to suffer?!"

"I do not know." she whispered softly, holding her gaze steadily "But I worry it must be due to the presence of darkness."

_"Darkness?" _she seethed "You mean Zett?"

"Yes, the Emperor. I fear that him withholding the Heaven's Stone has substantially weakened you, causing you to absorb more darkness than light."

"Zett has nothing to do with this! I'm _fine._"

"Are you though?" she wondered, tilting her head to one side "You are the empress, yet you refuse light."

Arya flinched, stepping back as the words seem to cut right through her.

"W-what do you mean?" she stuttered, her voice faltering.

"Surely you have been noticing the effects recently, right? Fatigue, dizziness, pain... it's all because you've distanced yourself from the Heaven's Stone."

"So?" she challenged "It's not like I'll die."

"Of course not. But even then, your body has not fully recovered from your death. The most likely outcome as of now is that you'll weaken to such a state that you'll have to return to inside the Heaven's Stone. Though the years secluded there could be much longer."

"Then what do you think I should do then?" she asked quietly, her hands balled into fists at her sides "I'm not giving up on Zett."

The girl sighed, dropping her gaze from Arya as she walked past her, her eyes focusing on the flames behind.

"Why do insist on helping the Emperor of Darkness?" she questioned "You should know first-hand of the destruction the Shadow Line is capable of, the fear and danger they possess."

"Zett is different." she replied, her eyes focused on the girl as she kneeled down beside the small area of fire "He doesn't want darkness, he wants the light."

"But you don't?"

"What?"

"Ever since you were chosen to become empress you've rejected the light, you wish to remain human. It's as if you don't want to be empress at all."

"That's not true!" she exclaimed "You should know the reason why-"

"Arya." she silenced, standing back up to rest her hand gently on her shoulder, "I _do _know. I know how hard it is to decide. I understand your hesitation for choosing to become empress."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course." she replied softly "Despite the hardships you faced, you cannot let go of the memories of your family can you? You want to remain human so you can remember."

Arya was taken aback, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You've tried so hard to keep the light away so you can allow a part of yourself to remain human. Even now, you come here to only find out that you wish to keep the memories of your death despite knowing that afterwards the light will force itself upon you, resulting in the loss of more memories. You fear that once you become empress, you won't recognize the person you are anymore."

"I-"

"But you must know that it will only hurt more if you can't let go, Arya." she whispered "There is only light or darkness to choose."

"You're wrong!" she stammered, backing up closer the flames "Not everything is just black and white, there is no absolute!"

"But don't you see what it has done to Zett? Do you see what happens when one tries to stray from the path they're given?"

"Shut up!" Arya screamed, closing her eyes tightly as she covered her ears. She backed away into the flames, into the chaos and heat as she sensed her other half watching on the other side, unable to follow but watch with pity.

_You're wrong. You're wrong. You're wrong. You're wrong._


	39. Zett's World

Light can not reach him here. Light can not exist here. Light is an impossibility here in his world of darkness.

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star~_

It's funny how he could be so obsessed over such a childish tune, how he sings it for comfort in the nights where darkness becomes too much to tolerate any longer.

_How I wonder what you are~_

It's even funnier knowing that despite being the Emperor of Darkness, he remains fixated on the light.

**OOO**

_Why? _This is the question he can't seem to ever answer.

_Why am I obsessed with light?_

_Why can I never obtain it?_

_Why does it reject me?_

_Why was I raised in darkness?_

He hates it. He hates the darkness. He loathes it. If he could, he would give it all away in an instant to be part of the light. He would do anything for it.

**OOO**

His world is dark. Pitch black. An empty void of nothingness that shackles and restrains him from the light. It coils around him, _inside _of him, suffocating him.

Light is an impossibility here. Yet he tries to imagine it. Imagining and forcing himself to remember what it looked like, felt like. But his time in the light is ever so fleeting, so short compared to his time in darkness. How long has it been? Years... centuries. The most he can muster here are different shades of black, hues of swirling grey, but nothing like the light.

In a fit of anger and frustration he lashes out, waves of darkness crashing into the inner walls of his prison and hell. Darkness pooling and dripping off him like inky black blood. Disgusting emotions such as envy, hate, and sadness churning inside of him. He hates. He hates it all. But there is nothing he can do to stop it. The darkness seems to only increase each time he tries to force the darkness out of him, only angering him more.

He grits his teeth as he slams his fists against the cold ground, restraining himself from roaring out as the darkness continues to accumulate all around him. He wants it gone. He wants it to disappear. He wants it destroyed. All he wants is the light. _Why can't he have it?_

He sinks even further to the ground, his arms the only things that lend him support, his dark raven hair falling over his face.

"How pathetic."

His head snaps upwards, his cold eyes glaring at the figure before him, the monster perched ever so casually in a blackened facsimile of his throne.

The monster smirks, revealing silver teeth underneath black lips, his red eyes lighting with amusement.

"You never learn do you?" he speaks, shifting his position so that both his feet are planted on the floor "You just don't understand that you can't have the light. Or rather, you refuse to understand."

Zett remains silent, narrowed eyes fastened onto the creature before him as he stands back up, the darkness clinging around him.

"Give up." he demands, his tone suddenly harsh "Give up the light and just accept the darkness that you were destined with. Accept your fate as Emperor."

"Never." Zett snaps, sending a wave of darkness crashing into him.

He smashes through the throne, piles of stone rubble surrounding him as he picks him self back up with ease, wincing just slightly.

"This darkness..." he muses "If only you could demonstrate this power in reality."

Zett ignores him, summoning his sword as he rests its blade along his neck, a look of defiance and challenge on his face.

"Who are you?" he demands.

The creature smirks again, altering its appearance so that he looks exactly like Zett.

"I mean you no harm, your majesty." he replies, wrapping his finger around the blade as he draws it away from his neck "I only seek for what is best for you."

Zett narrows his eyes, no intention of dropping his sword as he glares silently at him.

"I only wish for your wellbeing as Emperor of Darkness."

"Well you can stop." Zett retorts "I refuse to accept myself with that title."

"Do you really think you can just _give up _the title of Emperor? Do you really think that it is a _choice_?"

"What do you mean?" he questions, tightening his grip around the hilt of his sword.

"Surely if you refuse to accept your role as Emperor, then that must mean you will leave the Shadow Line, right?"

"Of course." he replies curtly.

"But what will you do without the darkness? You can hardly survive an hour in the light. Do you think the Rainbow Line will just accept you? Even if you claim you have given up darkness, you still remain a threat to them for your body will seek out darkness against your will."

"Shut up. You're lying!" he demands, drawing forth his sword once again.

"Am I though?" the creature asks curiously "Do you really believe that light could possibly reach inside that void of darkness inside of you?"

"I said shut up!" he commands, swinging the sword at his head.

The reflection grins, dodging with ease as he grabs his wrists, cold hands gripping the soft purple fabric around the left side of his chest, holding him in place.

"Shall we prove it then?" he asks, a wicked smirk flashing before he returns back to his monster form.

Paralyzed between shock and fear, Zett struggles to escape his grasp as his cold, sharp fingers reach inside of him, his entire body spasming with pain as his legs immediately buckle and give out. He hangs there, suspended by his grip as he continues to pry deeper and deeper inside of his body, darkness releasing outward involuntarily as he struggles to control it any longer. His mind starts to go numb, the world blurring from all the pain and agony. He grits his teeth as he fights to escape his hold, to remain conscious.

Soon he begins to feel himself be released, the hand drawn out in agonizingly slow torture before allowing him to collapse to the ground, the sword clattering beside him.

"This is your heart." the monster sneers, black ink dripping from the still beating object in his hand "There is only darkness here."

Zett groans softly, his fingers outstretched toward the object as he struggles to grab it back from his possession.

"Stop." he whispers, his arm falling weakly to the ground as he continues to attempt to stand back up.

"Light cannot reach here." he continues coldly, digging his nails into its flesh.

Zett screams pitifully as he curls around himself in agony.

"Light is nonexistent here."

"No... you're wrong." he murmurs half-consciously.

"What?" he demands angrily "Are you an idiot?! How much is it going to take for you to understand?" He tears apart a piece of the his heart this time, Zett's screaming increasing as he continues to tear and rip and destroy it to a million pieces. "Light cannot exist here! Light will not exist here! The only thing your heart desires and can possess is darkness!"

Zett writhes on the floor as unimaginable pain shoots through his entire body, his mind a blur and mess of images as he struggles to find strength to challenge him. To prove that he is wrong.

Darkness curls around him as he reaches out, hands searching weakly through the dark and broken remains of his heart. He searches desperately, frantically for any sign of light, the fire he was so sure that burned just slightly once before. It had to be there. It had to be.

The creature watches him with hate and scorn in his eyes, fighting back every instinct to kill Zett then and there. He approaches him slowly, fingers wrapped around the metal hilt of the sword.

"Zett stop."

He bores his crimson eyes toward her, the girl kneeling beside Zett as she cradles him in her arms protectively.

"What are you doing?" she demands at him, tears falling from her face as she only glances at his unconscious form for only a moment.

He scoffs, glaring down at the so-called Emperor.

"Pathetic. Thinking that light could ever reach him."

"I'll reach him. I'll save him." she whispers softly, _desperately._

"I'd like to see you try." he sneers "He is destined to be the embodiment of darkness whether you like it or not. All I need is time and soon you will see."

He stalks off, leaving the two behind as he returns to his prison and hell of black, the screech of the metal blade echoing out as he drags it across the floor.

**OOO**

She watches him leave, sadness, grief, and guilt twisting her heart.

"A-Arya..."

She shifts her gaze back onto the emperor, seemingly dying at her arms.

"Zett..." she murmurs softly to him.

"I-Is it true?" he asks feebly, his hand shaking as he reached out toward his heart "I can never have the light?"

She nearly cries, burying her face into his soft dark hair to hide away the tears "Of course not. I promise, I promise I'll find away to give you your light back."

His eyes linger on hers for a moment, as if he just now realized who she was for a moment.

"A-Arya?"

She shakes her head.

"W-who are you..."

"Rest now, Zett." she whispers soothingly to him "I promise she'll be waiting for you when you wake up."

_I promise._


	40. Return to Reality

It rains. Cool, wet droplets sprinkling down on them as they begin to awaken, their bodies strewn around the door once lit magnificently with light as it soon begins to fade to grey.

The clouds continue to roll across the sky, darkened after the hours spent in the Reflection Realm, the winds whistling as they send ripples through the untrimmed grass.

_I guess it won't snow today._

As the chatter increases among the ToQgers, Arya slowly begins to open her eyes back to reality, her eyes dull as the memories of her past life begin to disappear, emptiness and sadness twisting her heart.

She lays upon the ground, her cheek resting against the brittle and dying tendrils of grass, too numb to even move. She wants to sleep, to bury and seclude herself away from the world, to just hide away and forget that this day ever happened. All she wants to do is forget.

She turns and looks behind her to see Zett, still unconscious, his breathing coming in short, uneven gasps, his face contorted in pain.

Her heart twists again, yet it's unlike the feeling of when her memories disappeared. It's different. It's as if she missed an even bigger part of her life.

She reaches out to him, her hand numb from the cold, resting and wrapping itself around his for warmth.

She wonders, _thinks,_ if maybe coming here, was another mistake.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!"

The room erupted with noise and laughter, the lights twinkling brightly against the glittery silver and gold tinsel that hung around the walls. The trees fully decorated once more in everyone's signature color. The room permeating the scent of evergreen trees and peppermint all around.

The ToQgers gathered around the tree in the center smiling broadly, hands linked together as they all silently send out their wishes for the upcoming year. Being busy with fighting the Shadow Line all year, all of them seemed to have forgotten to get gifts for one another. Of course, they didn't mind, they were thankful enough for having each other, but that didn't stop Conductor from going out and stashing away presents these last few weeks.

Excited, everyone tore through the neatly wrapped boxes, their faces lit up with happiness and smiles as if they were kids again. Of course, Right was too busy eating the buffet Wagon set out for him to pay any attention to the presents being handed out to him.

Watching as everyone marveled at their new gifts, Arya stood near the back smiling just as broadly as everyone else. She was glad everyone was happy, glad to have something to cheer her up.

"Your majesty."

She turned, surprised to see Conductor holding out a tiny wrapped box for her.

"You got me a gift?" she asked, still stunned "What is it?"

He chuckled, grinning widely "Open it and find out." he replied, leaving before she could ask anything else.

She sighed, looking down at the neatly wrapped package in the palm of her hand, admiring the shine of the paper and the carefully-placed red bow on top. Slowly, she began to tear through it, a sense of childlike glee beginning to worm its way back into her heart. Placing the wrapping aside, she lifted the lid off the white box inside, gasping as she quickly took the keychain out. She stared at it, her eyes wandering over the shooting star charm and its iridescent colors. She turned it on its back-side, seeing the words: May all your wishes come true, etched neatly into the metal. A laugh escaped her mouth, embarrassed at how corny Conductor could be sometimes. Carefully, she placed it back into its box, exiting the room to go and place it alongside the other keychains Conductor had given her over the years in her bedroom.

Passing through the hall, she stared out through the window and saw that it had began to snow. Deciding that there was nothing else better to do, she went outside to enjoy the refreshing cool air.

* * *

Stepping out into the night, the stars glittering up above as the snow crunched underneath her feet, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Yo."

Surprised, she jumped as she whirled around to see Zett, laying on top of the train.

"Don't scare me like that." she demanded, feigning annoyance as she began to climb up beside him.

Seeing as she was about to join him, the emperor slowly sat up, his feet dangling over the sides.

"What are you doing up here?" Arya asked, tucking her hair behind her ear from the blowing wind.

"I don't know." he muttered "Just thinking I guess."

"Don't you want to go inside and join the others? It's pretty bright and shiny in there." she teased, nudging him by the elbow.

He offered a small smile at that, though it faded just as quickly it had appeared.

"Something wrong, Zett?" she asked, worry clouding her eyes.

"I'm fine."

"You're a horrible liar." she replied, scooting closer to peer up at his face, their fingertips brushing just slightly.

He ignored her, leaning back so that he was looking up at the stars once again, the Heaven's Stone resting on top of his chest as it glowed in the darkness of the night.

"Did something happen?" she prodded, laying down beside him.

"I told you, I'm fine. It's nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing."

He glanced toward her, his eyes lingering on hers momentarily before he spoke "Do you think... that I could ever have the light?"

"Well it depends." she replied "Are you planning to steal it from others?"

He remained silent, as if pondering the idea.

"Yes, I do think you could have the light, Zett. Your _own _light."

"Then how am I suppose to obtain it?" he questioned, his voice strained with sadness as he reaches his hand out toward the stars.

"I don't know." she sighed "But you just need to be patient, light will find it's way to you."

"Do you promise?" he whispered, turning back to meet her gaze once more.

She looked away from him immediately, her heart racing from the intensity of his stare. "I promise."

Content with her answer, he settled back down again, shutting his eyes to sleep.

_"I promise, Zett." _she thought, propping herself up to peer up into the night sky _"I promise."_


	41. The Day After

"_Great, _just great. This is _exactly _what I wanted." grumbled Madame Noire as she paced across the room, each word dripping with sarcasm "Why did I ever allow that idiot Rose Shadow to take out the Emperor?"

"Mother, please..." murmured Grita "I promise to do it right this time!"

"We don't have time, Grita!" she snapped "We don't have time to waste to just keep failing, especially with the Darkness Drought upon us!"

"Maybe we could..."

"Going to give up, Noire?" mocked Mork, the chains scratching the marble floor as she shifted her position to face her "The Emperor should be recovered by now don't you think? I'd suspect he's on his way right now to finally do away with you and the rest of your band of traitors."

"Give me a reason not to kill you right now." she hissed, drawing out her dagger.

"Enough, Noire." spoke Schwarz, pulling her back "I've already sent out another Shadow to deal with the Emperor."

"What?!" she shrieked "Without my permission?! Are you trying to have us killed? No Shadow is strong enough right now!"

"Trust me." he replied calmly.

* * *

_"What are you doing?"_

"What does it look like?" Arya replied "I'm getting you warmed up."

"Why?"

The empress rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You're cold aren't you, Zett?" she asked "You need something to protect you from the wind."

He let go of his grip from her arm, allowing her to finish draping the heavy, wool blanket over his shoulders.

"Did you stay out here all night?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Zett, you should've gone inside instead of staying out here to freeze." she responded, noting his unkempt hair "Did you even sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah..." he grumbled sullenly.

Arya sighed, sitting down beside Zett as he shifted his body away from her.

"Are you okay, Zett? You've been acting strange since we got back from the Reflection Realm."

Instinctively he reached toward his heart, twisting the purple and white fabric around it.

"I'm fine."

"Zett..." she groaned "Why won't you tell me?"

"I said I'm fine." he snapped, a small amount of darkness releasing around them.

"I'm sorry." she spoke quickly, resting her hand on top his knee "I won't ask anymore."

Immediately the darkness vanished.

Knowing he probably wasn't going to say anything else, Arya then began to stand back up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing her wrist.

"I need to help Akira fix a bug in the Build Ressha's system. I already told everyone I'll be back in an hour or so."

He furrowed his brow, as if conflicted on whether he should allow her to leave or not.

"Zett, I'll be back soon, okay?" she insisted, prying his fingers away "If you need anything just let me or the others know." She stooped down, her lips hovering just a few centimeters away from his cheek as she realized what she could've done. "I'll... be back." she finished lamely, squeezing his hand reassuringly before leaving.

He watched her go regretfully, already halfway down the ladder. He wanted so desperately to call out to her and tell her to stay, yet his tongue refused to operate.

"Make sure you keep warm!" he heard her call out as she sprinted through the field.

* * *

"Found it!" announced Arya as she slid out from underneath a panel "Found the problem!"

"Really?" asked Akira, setting down another set of tools "What is it?"

"Looks like the wiring has taken a lot of damage recently, we'll have to replace some of the circuits here."

"How will we do that?"

"Hmm, hand me that tool box over there. There would be some spare wires and cables we could use."

Sifting through its contents to finally end up with handful of supplies, Arya quickly ducked back under the panel and began to work.

"I should have this fixed in no time." she called up to him.

Nodding his head, Akira then settled down nearby her, prepared to help at any moment.

_Thunk._

"Your majesty?"

"Ow that hurt." she mumbled, rubbing her forehead as she slid back out "Hand me one of the pliers over there."

"Your majesty, are you okay?" he asked as he placed the pliers in her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, slightly embarrassed "I'm not bleeding right?"

"No, you're fine."

Smiling, she then disappeared underneath once more.

"Uhm...your majesty?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it's time?"

"Time?"

"Time for the Emperor to leave?"

Her head popped back out, her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"How many times are you going to ask that?"

"I'm only asking for your wellbeing."

"And what sort of wellbeing is that?" she retorted.

"It's been over a month, don't you think he should have returned the Heaven's Stone by now?"

"Why is everyone getting on my case about that?" Arya muttered, returning back to her work with the wires.

"It's fine. He can hold onto it for as long as he wants." she replied to Akira.

"Are you sure? Maybe it's for the best he-"

At that, the Applichanger began to ring.

"Hello?" she heard him answer "Okay, we'll be there."

"Is it a Shadow?" she asked immediately.

"Yeah, let's go."

She looked away, focusing on the wires that shook in her trembling hands.

"Your majesty?"

"Go on without me." she spoke "I'll stay back and finish rewiring these circuits."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded her head, waiting for his footsteps to disappear before crawling back out.

She sighed, organizing the leftover wires back into the toolbox. In truth, she was already done before the phone rang.


	42. Ocean Waves

"Why didn't you go with them?"

Arya shrugged, leaning her back against Zett's chest as the two stared out into the ocean.

"I don't know. I guess I just wasn't feeling well."

She picked up a broken seashell, running her fingers along its ridged surface before letting it drop back in to the sand, curling her hands into a fist to hide her still trembling fingers.

"Shouldn't you be resting then?" he asked, his eyes focused on the swirling, blue waves.

She smiled half-heartedly, letting her forehead rest against his jawline "Maybe."

He wrapped his arms around her as a gust came, shielding her protectively from getting any colder than she already was. He didn't look down, he forced himself to ignore the fact that her light had dwindled and was almost nonexistent right now. He chose to disregard the ache inside his chest.

Instead, he let his eyes be drawn to the object in the sand, its colors bright against the dull background.

"What's this?"

Arya shifted her head to let her eyes rest on the item in his hand, her gaze trailing over its metallic chain.

"Conductor gave that to me." she murmured, finally recognizing the charm.

Plucking it out from Zett's hand, she let its heavy weight rest in her palm as she ran her thumb over its surface to clear the bits of sand.

"It must of fallen out of my pocket." she continued, though tears began to well up in her eyes at the thought of losing it.

"It must be important then, huh?" he asked as he noticed the light slowly return in Arya.

She nodded her head, enclosing it tightly in her hands.

"You must care about him, Conductor, right?"

"Of course. He's done so much for me."

He let his gaze drift away from her as he looked back at the ocean, lost in thought.

"It must be nice... having someone... everyone care about you."

"I care about you, Zett." she spoke, turning to cup his face in her hands.

"I know." he sighed, brushing them away "I just wish-"

"Isn't it that way in the Shadow Line? Nero surely cares about you, and probably Mork."

_"Care?"_ he scoffed "They don't give a damn about me, I'm just the person connected to their precious darkness."

"Zett, you can't mean that-"

"It's the truth!" he spat "I'm nothing. I'm nothing to them. No matter how much I insist on having the light they just shove more goddamn darkness onto me! I'm sick of it!"

He slammed his fist into the ground, his face contorted in anger and frustration as darkness leaked through his hands.

"I can't get rid of it. I just can't. No matter how hard I try."

"Zett, stop." Arya pleaded, wrapping her hands around his "I promised you didn't I? You'll have your own light someday."

"Why must I wait?" he demanded, his hand enclosing around her neck "Why can't I just take it? Why won't you just give it to me?"

She closed her eyes as fear enveloped her, the darkness from his eyes running her blood cold.

"Zett, stop." she whimpered "You're hurting me."

Immediately he let go, the darkness slowly leaving his eyes.

"Arya, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Zett." she replied hurriedly, quickly standing back up "Let's just go, okay?"

Her voice quivered, her hands shaking as she held them into fists. He cowered, imagining how angry she could be.

"Are you coming, Zett?"

He looked up, surprised by how softly she spoke, surprised to see her hand outstretched to him, inviting him to take it.

"Are you coming?" she repeated, her gaze warm and welcoming.

He nodded his head, entwining his fingers with hers as they began to walk.

* * *

_Why aren't you mad? _he wondered as she dragged him along _Why won't you lash out at me?_

He watched each stride she took, growing farther and farther away yet still holding on to him.

_I'm sorry. _he wanted to say _I didn't mean to hurt you._

Why did it always end up like this? Why did he push away the light when it was so close in his reach?

Why couldn't he say the thing he wanted to the most?

_I care about you._


	43. Flutter

Some things are never meant to be.

Zett thinks about this as he waits alone in the dining cart for Arya, his gaze fixated in the direction of her room. He thinks about all the things that went wrong, the parts of him that _are _wrong. He thinks of all the possibilities and impossibilities of light and darkness. He starts to think if maybe... everything was a mistake.

He waits for her. He waits to hear her soft, shuffling footsteps, to see her familiar warm glow of light. He waits for the moment she'll smile and tell him all about the stars again and how one day he'll shine like them. He longs to be with her again.

He replays the moment they came back, how she slipped away from him without a word, the door clicking close softly between them. He tries to remember how he felt then. Was it sadness? Anger? Hatred? Everything was dark.

Even when the others came back she didn't come out to greet them, nor did she come out for dinner.

Everyone eventually began to pester him with questions, ones he had no answers for. Of course, Akira was the one who spoke with the most hostility, interrogating him as if he was the cause of everything. He hated how they kept asking, oblivious to his own agitation. He wished he could've pushed them all away with darkness... maybe that would've brought Arya back. Either way, he was too distracted and tired to even argue. All he could do was ignore them until their voices faded away, leaving him alone in silence.

* * *

He waits. He forces himself to be patient. He pushes the darkness away that curls inside of him.

_Please come back._

He closes his eyes as the minutes trickle by, the sun dipping below the horizon as it plunges the world into darkness. He gives up.

* * *

"I told you."

Zett wakes up to the familiar darkness of his world, though jagged mirror formations protrude from the ground. Their forms jut out at such odd angles that they distort the images around him.

"I told you the light can never be yours."

He stands to see his face, the red eyes glaring at him as his lips are curled back in mockery.

Almost instinctively, he lashes out, his fist colliding into the mirror in front of him as it shattered into a million pieces.

He smirks as his form appears in another space. "Pathetic."

Zett scowls as he cradles his hand, feeling the pulse of blood as it drips to the floor.

"I see no point in you staying with the girl. She serves no purpose to you."

"Shut up!" he takes another swing, shattering another mirror, though the monster still shifts to another.

"Either your darkness will choke her light, or her light will burn you out."

Zett expels a waves of darkness around him, colliding into all the glass formations as the pieces litter the floor in glistening shards.

The figure approaches.

"You're a monster."

Zett stops dead in his tracks, the word running his blood cold like ice.

"You're the embodiment of darkness."

He looks down to see that the glass no longer reflects him as a human, yet the Shadow he really was, the true monster that lay hidden deep within. He stares at the cold, dark eyes, red as blood. The silver teeth sharp like fangs. The spikes and scales along his body jagged like claws.

"It's all you are and will be." he breathes, his lips close to his ear.

The darkness swirls around him as he stumbles back, fighting back the fear and panic rising in his chest as the shards crackle at his feet.

"I'm not like that. I don't want to be."

"Don't deny it. We both know the creature you are inside, the destruction you are capable of, stop fighting it."

Zett falls to his knees as he covers his ears, shaking his head to block out his voice.

"You're wrong!"

The voices continues to taunt him, its voice drowning out his every thought as the words echo inside him.

"I'm not a monster! I can control it!"

"No Zett," the creature whispers, looming over him "The darkness controls you."

* * *

Zett's eyes flick open as his head presses against the cool window of the train, his entire body paralyzed as he struggles to breathe. He feels the soft rumble of the trains underneath, the droning whistle outside. He looks outside to see the blur of lights passing by, yet all he can really focus on is his reflection. He sees he is human, yet the sensation still lingers, the feeling that the monster inside continues to struggle to find its way out.

"Zett?"

His heart races as he immediately recognizes the voice.

He turns his head weakly to see Arya stand at the door, her face illuminated by the faint glow of the white candle in her hand.

"Zett, are you okay?"

She seems to always ask that, always with those eyes clouded with worry. It makes the bitterness inside him churn as he can only understand this as pity.

She walks over, her footsteps soft and quiet as she approaches him, setting the candle in the center of the table almost silently.

He waits, watching as she perches herself near the edge of the seat, her hand extended out to him but pausing halfway, hesitant... fearful.

"I'm not a monster." he whispers. His eyes glossed with tears that will never fall.

In that moment, something changes in her composure, as if his words revealed something inside of her that had meant to be hidden. However, the moment is gone in an instant.

She slides closer, leaning toward him as she closes her eyes, pressing her lips to his temple to kiss him softly.

His throat closes up, his body going ridged from the unfamiliar touch.

"I know." she replies quietly once she pulls away.

_What was that?_

He looks to her eyes to see an emotion he cannot comprehend, yet it fuels the burning light inside of her. It's not happiness, or sadness, or fear, or pity... what was it? Why did it seem to make his heart... _flutter_?

"Arya-"

"It was just a bad dream, okay?" she soothes, her arms pulling him in an embrace even more foreign than the last. "Go back to sleep."

He let's his head rest on top of hers, his cheek nestled into her soft dark hair.

He finds he cannot go back to sleep, or rather, he didn't want to. All he wanted was to remember and experience this new found light. He didn't want to let it go. He wanted to stay here with her, in her arms. He wanted to feel this strange mix of emotion more. He would sacrifice anything to stay here forever.


	44. Origami

The world was at peace. No sign of the Shadow Line had been detected even at the slightest as the ToQgers traveled through the stations. Though it was only for a few weeks, everyone relished in it nonetheless.

The clouds had parted and revealed marvelous, yellow sunlight that melted the snow into new spring puddles. The green grass sprouted and unfurled from the ground and sprung about various flower buds that bloomed in a plethora of colors. The birds swooped and chirped their cheerful songs. The laughter of children filled the air as they ran and played in the light. Everything was perfect.

"Ahhh~" sighed Right, stepping out from the resshas as he stretched his arms up toward the sky "I can't believe it's spring already."

"Me too." replied Tokatti as he followed, holding his blue coat close to his chest "No more cold, gloomy weather anymore."

"And no more snow." Hikari responded.

"Aww come on, Hikari, the snow was the best part of winter!" argued Right "Don't you remember the snowman we built?"

He did. There was no use forgetting. Forever the image of his precious kendama freezing in the snow was ingrained in his memory as he witnessed Right using it as an arm for his "masterpiece".

"Anyway..." interrupted Mio, placing herself between the two as she sensed the tension beginning to rise "It's great to finally be out in the open instead of staying inside all day."

"Exactly!" Kagura cheered "I'm excited to go to the ocean now that it isn't cold!"

"That's a great idea! Anyone else want to come?"

The others nodded their heads in agreement, prepared to enjoy their day off to its fullest.

* * *

"Iyaa~" cried Wagon, peering through the window to see them all leave "The trains are going to be intensely empty these next few days!"

"Oh don't worry Wagon." replied Conductor "Let them have their fun. It hasn't been this nice out in forever."

"I know... but who's going to help clean the inside now?!"

"You are!" demanded Ticket "It's your job!"

"Yeah but..."

"Oh stop complaining! How hard could it be?"

"Harder than your job!" huffed Wagon.

"I-Impossible!" Ticket stammered "I'd like to see you try controlling and mapping out our next station everyday all day and night!"

"You hardly drive the resshas! They're on autopilot most of the time!"

"You take that back!"

Before the conversation could continue any longer, the sound of laughter drifted through from outside.

Curious, the three peered out through the window to see Arya and Zett together nearby the trees.

* * *

She smiled, her pink lips curled upward happily as she finished the final fold on the paper, presenting the green origami frog to Zett.

"There. Now you try."

He frowned, one leg propped up while the other lay straight in the grass as he took the small piece of folded paper in his hands. He examined it, studying it as if it was something beyond his comprehension. He fiddled with the edges and creases, trying to distinguish the parts and attempting to remember each step she took to make it like this. Why couldn't it be simpler?

He set it down alongside the others in the grass as he then returned his gaze back to his own pile of multicolored paper. All of which had remained untouched.

"Do you need help?" Arya asked, glancing up as she began to fold another animal from her stack.

His frowned deepened, frustration pricking at his heart as he sifted through the papers to find one that was a glittery silver.

"Make me a star."

"You want me to fold you a star?"

He nodded his head. He wanted one. Actually, it was the first one he saw her make, but she was too caught up making the paper petting zoo to stop and show him how to make one himself.

"Okay then." she replied happily, setting down what looked like a crane before reaching for another sheet "You start off by..."

* * *

"Iyaa~" Wagon swooned, face pressed against the window "Just look at those two! They're just perfect for each other!"

"What do you mean _perfect? _It's the Emperor of Darkness! He shouldn't even be here!" Ticket cried out.

"Can't you see?" Wagon exclaimed "Just open your eyes and see just how happy those two are! Light and darkness, opposites _do _attract!"

"Stop this nonsense! They are in no means in love!"

"Not yet! But soon..." her voice trailed off, lost in the imaginings and fantasies of her mind.

"I can believe you." muttered Ticket, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"Oh come on! Don't you think it would be amazing if the two got together and-" she stopped, tracing the shape of a heart in the air.

"You really need to stop. And we should really stop allowing you to watch so many romance movies."

She sighed, crestfallen at his lack of imagination.

"Both of you are no fun." announced Wagon, tilting her chin up as she exited the room in a grand fashion.

* * *

"There. Finished." Arya breathed, displaying the final product to Zett.

He looked at it and compared it to his, though the folding was a little sloppy, the two looked almost identical to each other.

He flinched, feeling her warm hand touch his as she opened his palm to set her star down in his.

"You can have it." she said softly, a blush rising to her cheeks as she smiled.

Before he could respond, she leaned back onto the grass, her hair fanning out from underneath and her face upturned toward the warm rays of sunlight. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before settling deeper into the ground.

He watched, stars still in his hands as her arms fold behind her head, her eyes flickering across the sky in search of something, maybe the drifting clouds.

He looked down, staring at the glittery stars in his hands, how the paper shimmered iridescently as small bits of light leaked through the overhanging shadow of the tree.

He deposited them in his pocket for safekeeping, leaning back with his arms propped behind as he looked up toward he sky along with her. He sighed deeply, eyes closing as he felt the cool shade envelop him and the pin pricks of light fall over him like a blanket of stars. If only it could be like this all the time...

"Hey, Zett."

He opened his eyes, turning his head tiredly toward Arya.

"You like it here, right?" she asked, fiddling with her fingers as they lay atop her chest "You like being part of the Rainbow Line, right?"

His gaze fell, eyes furrowed in contemplation.

"Of course..." he began slowly.

"You won't go back to the Shadow Line, right?" she then asked abruptly, her head tilted toward him with pleading eyes.

"Of course." he replied reassuringly, watching as her body immediately relaxed.

The two stayed quite after that, lost in their own separate thoughts.

Yet the unease still remained.

Zett clutched the tendrils of grass tightly in his fists, feeling circulation begin to get cut off as he felt the darkness churn inside of him. He guarded it protectively, forcing it to remain hidden within the depths inside. For a moment he felt his composure waver just slightly, suddenly feeling light-headed and weak and then having the sensation disappear almost instantaneously.

His glaze flickered back onto Arya, her eyes focused off to the distant.

He will never let her know.

* * *

The world was bright, alive with colors and light, and filled with happiness. Yet it all seemed so out of place.

The world was a mixture of black, grey, and white in her eyes. It was growing more difficult to tell between the three with each passing day. The darkness pervaded her thoughts and mind, while the light fought its way through.

She felt like a rag doll. Being tossed from one world to the next, unable to decided where her heart truly lied. Caught amidst a war where she couldn't distinguish the difference between who was right and who was wrong.

Maybe she should just give in. Just go and give up her memories and officially become empress. Maybe that'll solve everything.

But she'll miss it, the feelings, the memories that were her only connection to humanity. The thing that fueled her motivation to protect the light.

_But isn't that what made you decide to become empress?_

"Maybe..." she whispered to herself.

She turned her head toward Zett, his gaze tracing the folded star in his hand, so mesmerized by it. His dark eyes drawn to something that shined.

She smiled, glad that he was here beside her.

But deep down, there are things she could never tell him.

She could never tell him that what hurt the most was being part of a world whether no darkness or light could reach you. Infinitely stuck between the worlds in a land of grey. Forever lost in choosing between two things that seemed so different yet so similar.

She will never let him know.


	45. Falling Apart

"Everyone, I've detected another Shadow Town!" announced Akira, his voice crackling through the communicator.

"Really?" Right and the others cried, already brushing off the sand from their legs.

"Hurry! There's not much time!"

Quickly, they all ran toward the approaching Drill Ressha, scanning their passes as they boarded, their hearts racing as they hoped that this time, it'll be their hometown.

* * *

"Are you not going, your majesty?"

"I don't want to, Conductor." Arya mumbled, attempting to shoo him away.

"Are you sick? It was pretty chilly outside, maybe you shouldn't have-"

"I'm fine!" she snapped, sitting back up.

She hated how he would get like this, always so worried and caught up in a frenzy as if she was some fragile child. She crossed her arms, glaring up at him as he continued fretting over her.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything? Can I do anything for you?"

"I said I'm fine!"

She stood abruptly, biting her tongue from saying anything too hurtful. She knew Conductor meant well, but sometimes his insistent worrying really got under her skin. She turned, prepared to exit the room when the alarm rang out.

"Shadow monster!" Conductor cried.

"What?" exclaimed Ticket "How could they... the others aren't here and there's no way of communicating them!"

"I'll go." Arya replied, already halfway out the door.

"Your majesty!" they called "You can't!"

It was no use, she was determined to prove to them that she could handle herself.

Tightening her fists she could feel her power wavering just slightly, yet she remained steadfast in her composure.

_I can do this._

* * *

Approaching the area, Arya and Zett kept their eyes alert for any possible threat. Already they had noticed how abandoned and empty the place was, isolated from both people and sound as many parts were destroyed and ravaged.

"Do you sense anything?" she whispered to Zett, hand gripping the hilt of the sword resting at her side.

He shook his head, his gaze continuing to shift from one place to another.

Her heart sank, wondering if they were too late.

"Emperor of Darkness."

Suddenly an overwhelming aura of darkness permeated the area as shadows began manifesting from the walls of the buildings, painting them in black. Arya's heart lurched, cowering just slightly as her eyes widened at what she was seeing.

_This power..._

This feeling was all too familiar.

"It seems they were right, you did survive."

Just then a lone figure stepped forward, it's form seemingly clad with a cloak of darkness, its face twisted bearing no resemblance to a human or any other Shadow from before, its mouth jagged and curved in a perpetually haunted smile. It's most noticeable feature being that it had no legs, almost _hovering _of some sort, made it seem like a shadow brought to life.

Zett immediately stepped forward, blocking Arya from its path as he too sensed the power that it possessed.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The Shadow bowed graciously, its gaze fixated on him "I am Phantom Shadow, your majesty. I do not mean to cause harm."

"Then what have you done to the people of this town?" Arya accused.

"I see you've brought the Empress along with you." it murmured, its gaze shifting wearily toward her before returning to Zett "But no matter, I did not come to start a fight, I only wish for one thing."

"And what's that?"

"I seek for the return of the Emperor to the Shadow Line."

"What?" they both questioned at once.

"If you hand over the Emperor, I will free this town from darkness." he replied calmly.

"And what if we don't?" Zett challenged.

"Then I will take you by force."

"You can't have him!" Arya shouted stepping forward to shield Zett "He doesn't want to go back to the Shadow Line!"

"Oh? And what makes you say that? Are you saying the Emperor of Darkness wishes to be part of the light that is the Rainbow Line?" it asked curiously, though its eyes continued to glare at her with cold malice.

"Enough." Zett interrupted, brushing her arms away "Why do you want me back anyway? Is this another setup of Noire to have me killed?"

"Of course not, your majesty! I, and many others, wish to see your return. That is why I have joined in secret with Marchioness Mork to insure that you come back and do away with those traitors!"

"Mork, huh?" he mused "She would do something like this..."

"So will you come with me?"

Zett snickered, his eyes growing dark as he stared back at the Shadow "Like hell I would!"

"What?"

"I won't let you take him! Never!" Arya joined in, her sword poised in front of her.

Phantom Shadow growled, narrowing his eyes into slits as he looked at the two.

"I see I was too late, it seems the Empress of Light has lured you with fake promises of obtaining the so-called shining that you desire, your majesty. But no matter, if you will not come willingly, then I will have to convince you otherwise!"

In a flash, a jagged wall of violet came crashing between the two, the intensity of its flames just barely singeing Arya's arm.

Both of them summoning their swords, the two charged directly at him, attacking at opposite sides. However, this Shadow was clearly different from the others they fought before as it clearly had more power and skill. Phantom Shadow dodged all their attacks with ease, cold eyes focused and always one step ahead of them as his claw-like hands raked across Arya's arm.

She screamed, clutching the wound as she stumbled back, feeling the hot blood drip from her arm.

_I can't keep up... _

Before he could land another hit, Zett intervened as the two then clashed against each other in a flurry of sparks.

"Not bad." Phantom Shadow mused "You are just like the rumors say."

Zett remained silent, eyes narrowed into slits, focusing all his anger and energy on each attack. He was determined to never go back.

Soon, he felt his blade finally land somewhere, tearing through the soft flesh of its stomach to its arm.

The Shadow screeched, darkness pouring forth as it waited for the wound to heal.

"You haven't won yet..." it muttered quietly "I still have one trick..."

Shifting it's form, Phantom Shadow altered its appearance to a gaseous state of darkness, making its way quickly to Arya as she was still kneeled down from her injury.

"Look out!" Zett cried, blocking her in the last minute as the Shadow entered his body. Spasming, he fell weakly onto his knees, the sword clattering at his side.

"Zett! Are you okay?!" Arya yelled, shaking him at the shoulders "Zett answer me!"

He was silent, his weight heavy in her arms like stone. For a moment, she feared the worst until...

He laughed.

His voice was deep and distorted, a wicked smirk playing on his lips behind the dark hair that fell over his eyes as his entire body shook.

"Zett..." she whispered nervously.

He cackled, raising his eyes to meet hers.

She covered her mouth to stop the scream that climbed its way up her throat.

They were cold... haunted..._possessed. _His right eye had turned a dark shade of violet, jagged lines cracking through his flesh around it like scars. His left was nothing more than a pure black orb of nothingness, staring blankly at her while the right seemed to relish the fear in her own eyes.

He grabbed a hold of her by her collar, cold fingers wrapped around her warm skin as he dangled her off from the ground.

"Your majesty." he whispered mockingly, bringing his face closer to hers before tossing her hard across the pavement.

Arya winced, biting her lower lip in attempt to ease the pain that pulsed through her entire body as she struggled to get back up.

He watched all this with amusement, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike again. He placed the palm of his hand to his forehead, closing his eyes in concentration.

"Forgive me Emperor, this was not my intent." he murmured softly to himself "Rest now inside until I release you." he opened his eyes to stare coldly at the fallen Empress "Or until I do away with this nuisance."

* * *

"Let me out! Let go of me!" he called, banging his fists against the walls of darkness he was confined in.

The barriers shook, each hit sending a ripple through them yet had no sign of breaking.

He growled, sharp nails digging into his own flesh as his knuckles grew white from curling them into fists.

"My my, why the rush Emperor?" a voice spoke from behind.

Zett whirled around to face the intruder, the figure he loathed and did everything to avoid.

"Did you do this?" he spat.

The Shadow smiled amusingly, crossing his legs casually as he leaned back onto the black facsimile of his throne.

"I am nothing but a mere thought, how could I possibly do something like this?"

"Then help me get out!"

"Why?" it asked raising a brow "Why not just sit back and enjoy this darkness?"

"I told you I don't want this!"

It chuckled.

"How cute, you think that this is a choice."

* * *

He slammed his foot against her stomach, his heel grinding into her ribs as she clawed frantically at his legs to push him off. He dug deeper, pressing her back against the stone gravel underneath that punctured her skin.

Smiling, he pinned her down with an aura of darkness, stooping down to force her chin upwards so that her eyes met his.

"Hmm, his majesty was right about you." he cooed "You really do shine."

"Let me go! Let Zett go!" Arya demanded, struggling underneath the force of darkness.

His smile vanished, replaced by an expression of anger and annoyance.

"Give up." he hissed "The Emperor is destined to rule the Shadow Line. Anything you tell him is nothing but wistful thinking, his life belongs to darkness."

"No it doesn't! He wants the light!"

"He can want all he can, but he will never have it. The light cannot and will not reach him!"

"You're wrong!"

Breaking through his control, a wave of light crashed into him.

"You're all wrong!"

She charged at him, sword in hand as she clashed against his, metallic sparks flying in the air. She focused and put her heart and soul into every hit, light illuminating the area already beginning to dim by the setting sun. She fought in every possible way to avoid fully injuring Zett himself, her mind sent reeling through all the possible solutions.

_There has to be a way..._

Each cut was dulled, no hit was ever too painful, everything blocked by her own power and strength.

She could see her own blood flecked across the pavement, but she wasn't done yet, she wasn't going to give up.

What seemed like hours were probably minutes as she finally landed a direct hit, causing him to stumble back, the white and purple fabric torn apart.

"Give up, Phantom Shadow." she ordered, resting the tip of the blade along his neck "Release Zett and this town."

His glared at her, the violet eye filled with pure rage and hate.

"Never."

He grabbed the sword and rested it upon his heart as he stood up abruptly, smiling deviously.

"If you want me gone, you'll have to kill both me and him."

"What?" she cried "I thought you wanted the Emperor-"

"Shocked?" he teased "I am too. I would think that the Empress of Light would have less hesitation in destroying the thing that threatens humanity."

"Zett... is not a threat." she replied, her voice wavering with panic.

"Then what will you do? Will you set me free and allow me to take the Emperor back where he belongs? Or will you kill him by your own hands?"

"I..."

Arya closed her eyes, letting her arm fall limp at her side, her head bowed in defeat as her hands trembled.

He stepped back, a look of defiance on his face.

"I thought so. I knew you couldn't-"

She lunged at him, grabbing hold of the Heaven's Stone around his neck as she plunged her sword through his chest.

"What?" he gasped in surprise.

She pushed deeper, averting her gaze as she felt his flesh tear.

"What are you-"

She looked up at him, focusing on the fear in his eyes, her fierce expression reflecting through them.

In a burst of light, the Heaven's Stone radiated in a flash of heat enveloping both of them, the darkness vanishing from the force.

He screamed, attempting to pull away yet Arya's sword held him in place.

"It's over! Let Zett go!" she called at the top of her lungs, the light taking its toll on her also as she felt the heat searing through her veins.

He drew his gaze back onto her, flashing one last wicked smirk at her.

"It's over-"

He summoned his sword, plunging it through her heart as her eyes widened in shock

"-When I say its over."


	46. Fading Into Darkness

She gasped, stumbling back as she clutched her heart, the blood pooling and dripping through her fingers, dyeing them in scarlet. The sword clattered almost silently at her side, the sound drowned out by the loud pounding inside her head.

"Z-Zett..."

He snickered, clutching at his own wound as he swayed, a satisfied smile creeping at his lips.

The world felt like it was spinning, her vision blurred with swirling images and flashes of light. She blinked, struggling to focus on the figure in front of her against the tears that pooled behind her eyes.

Coughing and feeling her entire body quiver with each desperate breath, she then stared at the flecks of red covering her trembling fingers, how it trailed from her like a river onto the ground, how her heart in this moment felt nothing but emptiness.

Never in her life had she so desperately wanted to scream.

* * *

He watched her, his eyes directed onto the swirling mist of darkness conjured by her fear and desperation. It entwined its way around her like black vines, its thorns sharpened to a point, faint glimmers of light fighting against it only to be consumed in the end. If anything, he would go as far to say it was similar to the intensity and strength of the Emperor's.

His violet eye lighting with amusement, he smiled even wider, relishing the moment.

Even if it was short-lived.

Feeling the darkness within flare violently inside, Phantom Shadow grimaced. He hunched over, falling to his knees just seconds later as his power and control faltered, forcing him to be finally separated from the Emperor.

He scowled, feeling the light scorch his already dissipating flesh.

Casting one last weary glance toward the fallen emperor, Phantom Shadow forced himself to fulfill his last goal. With no intent of surviving, he sacrificed what little darkness he had as he quickly began to fade into nothingness, granting and blanketing it around Zett.

"Take this, your Majesty." he murmured softly "Return to where you belong."

* * *

Gradually gaining consciousness, Zett's eyes slowly returned to their former color, dark and black, yet focused toward the light.

He blinked, feeling sweat and heat cover his face along with pain surging throughout his entire body.

His hair was matted, falling over his eyes. His clothes was torn in the front where it was stained with blood.

_What happened?_

He felt his fingers twitch. Shifting his gaze toward them, he saw them coated in blood also.

He opened his mouth, shock and confusion impairing his judgment to process the situation completely as he began to question out loud exactly what was happening.

"ZETT."

He strained his neck upwards, his vision blurred just slightly but able to piece together the figure before him.

"Zett." Arya whispered more softly "I-"

She stepped forward, droplets of blood splattering onto the pavement as her legs trembled.

His eyes widened, gazing at her as tears dripped down her dirt streaked face.

"I-"

Her eyes closed, the strength she once had vanishing in an instant as she collapsed to the ground, her dark hair tumbling down and falling into the pool of scarlet beneath her.

* * *

"Arya!" he shouted, attempting to stand up but falling back once more "Arya..."

He reached out to her, his hand outstretched towards hers.

Everything hurt, yet despite all this he continued to struggle his way closer.

_This isn't my fault..._

His arm fell weakly onto the ground, limp and numb, his fingertips just barely grazing the warm liquid of her blood.

_Don't leave me..._

His eyes closed, exhaustion pulling his consciousness back into the dark depths of his mind.

_Let this all be a dream._


End file.
